This is Jeopardy!
by olivejuice26
Summary: He was slated to be the next Ken Jennings, already holding the record for second most won games in Jeopardy! history. But after she gets the call to be a contestant, Bella has one goal in mind: to end the reign of Edward Cullen. Continuation of entry for Control. Possess. Seduce. Contest. Winner of "SecretKeeper's Choice" and "Story We Want More Of" Awards.
1. Chapter 1

Hellooooo friends! This little story was my entry for the Control. Possess. Seduce. Contest hosted by the very lovely Nicffwhisperer and CarrieZM. If you haven't read the entries yet, I urge you to do so. They are sexy, fun, and brilliant.

I am honored that this little story that my beta/co-creator/awesome friend Chicsarah and I put together won the "Story we want more of" award as well as SecretKeeper's Choice (TwiSNFan) award. For our first contest, I couldn't be happier at how well-received it was. Check out their Facebook, FF, and Twitter pages for the amazing banners and blinkies that were created for the top winners, as well as a list of all of the contest entries.

This story continuation won't be long, but I hope it will be satisfying. I am working to get the next chapter complete, so please stick around to see who comes out on top...

 **Disclaimer** : The author does not own any publicly recognizable characters herein. No copyright infringement is intended. The questions and Jeopardy! game play are fictional for the story. No copyright infringement of the game questions or names is intended.

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"Do you have everything?"

I looked around at the small suitcase, my laptop bag that was also my carry-on, and my purse. I had everything I'd need for at least a few days, though I was hoping to be there longer.

"I think so," I said with a sigh, turning to Rosalie. She gripped my shoulders, already anticipating the anxiety that I knew would be evident on my face.

"You got this, B. Go win the big bucks and knock that fine fucker off his high horse!"

"Please, can't you go with me?" I asked. I knew she couldn't. I was off for the summer from my teaching position, but she was an ER nurse, and emergencies stopped for no one.

"You know I wish I could. But I'll be watching every night," she told me with a smile. She pulled me into a hug, and I wrapped my arms around her, feeling the softness of her favorite worn scrubs.

"You say that like I'm going to make it past one game," I said.

"You will. You are going to beat him. Edward Cullen may be the second winning-est Jeopardy! contestant in history, but you'll go down as that badass bitch from the south who ended his streak. And then maybe you'll get lucky and get _him_ to streak," she winked.

They were calling Edward Cullen the next Ken Jennings. He was just seven games shy of matching Ken's record for most Jeopardy! games won.

I'd received the call last week that I'd been accepted to be a contestant, after three different tests and an in-person audition that they'd flown me to New York for, along with several other East Coasters. I'd only been there for a day, flying back that very same night. It had been stressful, but apparently had paid off.

I had dreamed of going on Jeopardy! for as long as I could remember. Growing up, my dad and I watched it in front of the TV nightly. I still called Charlie most nights so that we could guess at the final question together.

"You're so crude. I just want to win some money and play my favorite game," I said with a grin. She saw right through me.

"You will. And then Edward Cullen can take a victory lap with you... in your bed," she snorted.

"You're delusional," I said to her. But hell, he was gorgeous and a girl could dream.

A few hours later, I was boarding my connecting flight in Atlanta to head for California. I did what I'd been doing basically since I got the call that I'd be on the show; I studied my notecards. I had hundreds of cards with trivia questions, a product of a long night with Rose. She'd been quizzing me on them and I had been quizzing myself on them as often as possible.

I had my folder of paperwork that the studio had emailed me, complete with my agreement to appear on television, as well as my non-disclosure agreement regarding anything recorded that would be airing at a later date.

Tomorrow, they would film three shows consecutively, with an hour in between each taping for the returning contestant to change and appear as though he or she were returning on a new day.

Our episodes would begin airing on Thursday, and the competitors were unknown. But because of his astounding game play and subsequent fame, it was already well-known that Edward Cullen was the returning champion.

I also had a list of things I'd learned about him so far. It may have been extreme, but I needed to anticipate his moves.

For instance, I knew that he was a doctor from Chicago, unmarried, 35 years old, had one dog that he loved dearly, had traveled to over 20 countries, studied in three of those 20, and he apparently farted random trivia.

In his 66 consecutive wins, he'd missed less than 10 questions that he'd attempted to answer.

He was always the leader when it was time for Final Jeopardy!, and he always wagered just the right amount so that if he did happen to miss the question, he'd still beat the second place contestant by a dollar.

He picked from the board at random, searching out the Daily Double questions in an effort to answer them before the other contestants had the chance. If he was confident in a category, he'd go for the bigger money questions first.

He'd mastered the art of intimidation, and so far none of his opponents could keep up.

I also knew that he was incredibly attractive, which I suspect he used to his advantage. But he seemed so full of himself that I was certain his attraction was only physical.

Whatever the case, I was prepared to not let his appearance-that perfectly cut and gelled hair, the piercing green eyes, the complexion clear enough to star in a Proactive commercial, or the way he wore the actual fuck out of his suits-distract me from my ultimate goal.

Edward Cullen may have been good at Jeopardy!, but I was sure he would meet his match in me.

A few hours later, I had made it from the airport to the hotel where I'd be staying for the duration of my trip. The show producers had let me know that contestants were responsible for their own accommodations and provided a list of suggested hotels in various price ranges. Since I figured this may be my only trip to California, I opted for the nicer digs.

After checking in, I made my way to my 12th floor room and flopped onto the big, plush bed. My head ached from the constant reviewing of my notecards, but the growling of my stomach won out over the tiredness. It was ten o'clock my time, but I'd gone back a few hours so if I fell asleep now I'd be awake again at the ass crack of down.

I pulled myself up and decided to freshen up and go to the top floor restaurant and bar here at the hotel.

I only had a few nice outfits for tomorrow, in case I needed more than one for the taping, so I pulled on a flowing navy blue sheer top over a camisole and paired it with some leggings.

The restaurant was bustling when I arrived, but fortunately, I found an empty seat at the crowded bar.

I was halfway through my glass of Riesling and had just taken a big ass bite of steak when I heard a deep, smooth, strangely familiar voice behind me.

"Is this seat taken?"

I turned, meeting the eyes of none other than Edward Cullen. He was almost unrecognizable in his long sleeved t-shirt and blue jeans. He was also wearing glasses, which I'd never seen him wearing on the show.

His usually perfect hair was a mess, as though he'd just woken up. Or had really awesome sex.

I chewed quickly and really worked my ladylike charm as I swallowed, chasing the meat with a large sip of wine.

"No, ah, go ahead," I gestured, clearing my throat and setting down my fork.

"Thanks," he chuckled. Smug bastard. "You make that look good. I think I'll have the same," he said, gesturing to my plate when the bartender walked up to take his order.

I picked up my napkin and thought over the opportunity I had just been given. Here I was with my likely opponent in tomorrow's game. America's boy wonder was sitting right beside me. I was admittedly a little starstruck but had to force myself to remember that he was just a man. A man I was intent on beating the shit out of tomorrow.

But he didn't know who I was. To him, I was just a girl sitting alone in the bar of an upscale hotel restaurant, shoveling beef into my mouth like it was my last damn meal.

"Having a good night?" He asked, and I looked over to him, watching as he slid the sleeves of his shirt up to the middle of his forearms. I was surprised to see two arms full of ink, intricately and delicately woven in bursts of color. He hid this well under his suits. Seeing his tattoos threw in an element of surprise I wasn't expecting and left me momentarily distracted.

"Sorry, what?" I asked, looking up at him and really driving home the awesome first impression I was making.

"I asked if you were having a good night," he grinned, reaching for his own glass of wine that the bartender sat down in front of him.

"Oh, yeah. I mean, sure," I said.

"Business or pleasure?" He asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Are you staying here for business or pleasure?" He asked again as his plate was set in front of him.

I debated saying both, but I didn't want to have to share what kind of pleasure I meant, so I just told him business.

"You?" I asked.

"Business, as well," he nodded, picking up his knife and fork to carefully slice into his meat.

"You're tattoos are pretty. I mean, well, they look nice," I said, suddenly desperate to keep the conversation going.

"Thanks," he chuckled, popping a bit of meat and potato into his mouth and chewing slowly.

I went back to my own plate, hyper aware of his presence. Just being in this room with him was intimidating, a fact I was sure he knew and used to his advantage. His presence was distracting, and I was letting him get to me already. I was going to need to buck the fuck up if I was going to beat him tomorrow.

I pulled out my phone and, without even thinking, opened the Jeopardy! game app I played often.

I was three questions in when I heard "What is 'envelop'?" I turned to see Edward staring over my shoulder, leaning in to look at the game on my phone.

"I was going to get that one," I defended. The answer had been "to surround, enclose & conceal."

Suddenly I felt a little enveloped-by his carefully spritzed on cologne, by the wine on his breath, by the heat of his colorful skin.

"Just helping you out..." He trailed, as if finally deciding my name was important enough for him to know.

"Bella," I said, reaching for my nearly empty glass. The bartender had taken away my plate when I'd pushed it away from me.

"A pleasure to meet you, Bella. I'm Edward," he said, offering his hand to shake mine. I had to fight the urge to say "I know."

"Mind if I play with you?" He asked, nodding to my phone as he slid his now empty plate away and drained his glass.

"Sure," I said, seeing this as a rare and unforeseen opportunity to take a crack at my opponent.

That's when I realized again that I had the advantage here. He didn't know that I knew who he was. I didn't let on to recognizing him, and he clearly didn't get an impression from me that told him I was intelligent enough to play a real game of Jeopardy!

So I did what I hate to see girls do; I dumbed myself down. I knew all of the answers as we continued to drink more wine and play the game, but I pretended not to. I didn't know if this would actually help, but when he saw me tomorrow, perhaps he'd either know then that I was lying about my intellect, among other things, or he'd assume I was an easy target. Either way, it'd only add to the element of surprise he'd get upon finding me on the pedestal next to him.

As the night wore on, we played and laughed and sipped more wine than we should have. I was already feeling the fuzziness of a sip too many, and I knew my inhibitions were dropping.

We stayed until closing time, when the bartender asked if we needed a designated elevator driver.

We both laughed, paid our tabs, and walked out of the restaurant.

"What floor?" Edward asked as we stepped in.

And because drunk Bella was a bold Bella, I leaned into him and whispered, "probably the same as you."

It was all the invitation he needed to lean down and grab me, setting his lips on mine and pulling the air from my lungs, the feeling from my limbs, the beats from my heart. It was the hottest, most incredible first kiss I'd ever had, and I vaguely remembered thinking how unfortunate it was that I'd likely not remember it tomorrow.

Edward turned us and pushed me into the wall; my body felt weightless with the rapid decent of the elevator car. Edward ground himself into me, and I knew then that there was no going back. Tomorrow's regrets be damned, wherever he was leading me tonight, I was willing to follow.

What seemed like a million hours later, I cracked opened a sleep crusted eye to the bright morning light streaming through a slit in the curtains.

Then I heard the gentle snore from beside me and turned to see Edward, his bare chest and arms, covered in even more artwork than I'd thought.

I peaked under the blankets to see that we were both very much naked.

"Oh, balls," I whispered to myself, and then as quietly as possible slipped out of from the covers. I dressed in record speed and grabbed my bag.

Then I stopped and wondered if I should leave a note. It'd be kind of shitty not to, but I also didn't want to presume anything.

I mean, I'd see him later anyway. But he didn't know that.

Damn it, why did I have to complicate things?

I decided a note was useless, so I left and went straight to the elevator. I got to my room and grabbed my phone to plug it into the charger. Then I sat on the bed and decided I needed to confess my sins.

 _I did exactly what you told me to do. -B_

 _You won already? I thought you weren't even playing until later? -R_

 _No no. Not that. Not yet anyway. I did the other thing you told me to do... -B_

 _Eat at In-N-Out Burger? -R_

 _Omg, no! I ran a pre-victory victory lap with Edward! -B_

 _Holy shit! When? How'd you meet him already? -R_

I explained to Rose how a combination of good food, flowing wine, and a phone app lead to me rolling around in the sack with my rival who didn't know he was my rival.

We talked a bit longer through text but when I realized the time, I knew I needed to wash the previous night away and prepare for the taping. I was going on at three, but they told me to get there at noon for preparations.

I had enough time for a long shower, but I was so anxious that I sped through getting ready and still had time to spare.

The nerves in my stomach were making me uncomfortable. I didn't think I'd get this anxious about being in TV, but the longer I sat in my room, my hair and makeup perfectly done and my clothing wrinkle free, I realized that I was terrified.

Add to that the pressure of my stupid decisions from last night, and I was a mess.

I didn't regret sleeping with Edward. I just wished I'd waited until after I had to face him on national television.

My mind and nerves were such a mess, but I had no one to blame but myself. Well, myself and a bottle of Riesling.

I decided leaving early may be best, because I didn't want to risk seeing Edward before I got to the studio. If I had my way, I wouldn't see him again until we faced off for our taping. And that's counting on him winning against his first two opponents during the first taping. I wasn't on until the second show. But who was I kidding? The boy wonder couldn't be beat. I was starting to wonder if I had what it took to do it myself.

I grabbed my bag and notecards before I could let self-doubt hold me back. I'd made it this far. I was meant for this.

I was grateful to get to the hotel lobby without running into Edward anywhere, but of course as soon as I stepped out to get a taxi, I saw his familiar, perfectly gelled hair easing into a cab. He was wearing a dark blue suit tailored to him better than most frames fit works of art. Damn, why'd he have to be so beautiful and smart? Had I really slept with that?

I remembered the way his lips moved over my neck, the way they'd pulled my nipples in, the way his hands had spread me and glided over me until I was ready to explode. I remembered him filling me with his hugeness, I remembered screaming his name and a lot of "fucks." I remembered the ripples in his muscles as he roared triumphant inside of me.

Lord help me get through this day.

The taxi ride to the studio was short, and when I got out, I was met with a young man in khakis and an official looking polo and headset.

"Hi, I'm here for the Jeopardy! taping," I said to him as I approached the big metal framed building that was one of many surrounding us.

"Name?" He asked, holding an iPad up and scrolling.

"Isabella Swan."

"Miss Swan, please sign here," he pointed, handing me a stylus.

"Go through this door and to the end of the hall. Hang a left, and you'll see a check-in counter. You'll fill out more paperwork there, and then you'll be directed to your private dressing room to wait for the taping," he told me, pulling the door opened and ushering me in.

I did as he said and was met with a stern looking older woman at the window.

"Hi, I'm Isabella Swan. I'm here for the second show taping," I told her.

"Fill this out," she told me, handing me another iPad. Good to see everyone here was so friendly.

I anxiously looked around, but I didn't see any sign of anyone else yet. I filled out the electronic paper work and signed my name about 47 times before finally handing the iPad back to Susie Sunshine. She asked for the other paperwork I'd brought with me, and then directed me what to do next.

"You're dressing room is that way," she said, pointing to my left. "Third door on the right. You are free to stay in there until you're called for taping. Be ready by 2:45."

And with that I was dismissed.

I walked down the hall and saw a door with a piece of paper taped to it, "Swan" printed across it.

Just as I turned the handle, I heard the door behind me, across from my room, open with a pop. I looked back on instinct, and was met with the very surprised eyes of Edward Cullen.

"Bella?" He asked, confused.

"Edward, hi," I told him nervously.

"The fuck? What are you...?" He started, and then figured it out when he saw where I was going. "You're a contestant?" He asked, anger thick in his voice.

"I...yes..." I trailed. I hadn't expected to see him and I wasn't prepared to deal with his anger.

"Wow. I bet you feel pretty fucking good about yourself, huh? So you knew who the fuck I was the whole time?" He asked, his voice rising.

"Lower your voice, please," I leveled.

"What? Don't want anyone to know you were whoring yourself out to your competition?" Oh, no the fuck he did not. "How many others you sleep with, huh?"

"Wow, I guess getting laid didn't help your mood at all. You're as much an ass in person as you seem on tv," I threw at him.

"What, have you been watching me? Stalking me? Get on the show just to get a crack at me?"

"Get over yourself, man. I took the test to be on this show before I even knew who you were. Getting selected so I could come on here and beat your ass is just an added bonus."

"I can't believe you lied to me," he fumed.

"I can't believe your genius self didn't catch on sooner. How did you not assume I'd know who you were? You're famous now!" I hissed, because really was he so dense?

"How was I supposed to know you were a fan of this show?"

"We literally played the game on my phone together, dumbass!" I yelled, causing the person who was walking towards us, presumably another contestant, to stop short and look at us.

"Whatever. You got what you came for," he glared.

"Not hardly. I still have to beat your ass today," I smirked.

"You already got more of my ass then you deserve. Consider yourself lucky," he said through gritted teeth.

"Meh. What I remember of it. It wasn't...that remarkable," I snorted, cutting my eyes to his crotch and then back to his face.

I didn't give him time to respond before I opened my dressing room door and slipped inside, slamming it harder than was probably necessary.

I sighed against the door, simultaneously mad at myself for letting him get a rise out of me and proud of myself for not taking his hateful words.

I looked around the room, which was really the size of a large closet. A mirror and small bathroom were to the right, and a plush leather love seat and coffee table with a basket of snacks and drinks on it to the left.

I hadn't eaten yet today; but my nerves, which were quickly resurfacing, left me with little appetite.

I grabbed a bottle of water and settled into the love seat to review more notecard questions.

I noticed a TV mounted on the wall over the bathroom door, the remote on the table by the basket. I turned it on, but the screen was just blue and blank. I flipped it back off and went back to my notecards, trying to push the mess I'd created out of my mind.

I'd figured Edward wouldn't have reacted well when we saw me, but I didn't realize he'd be so furious. I guess I could see why he was. I'd known exactly who he was immediately. But that was of my own knowledge. It's not like he'd been forthcoming. Though, truthfully he probably didn't feel the need to be. If anything, he probably appreciated his anonymity after so long in the spotlight.

But come on. We played the very game that was making him a household name. He had to assume I'd know who he was or at least heard about him.

I guess he thought the glasses and tattoos were enough of a disguise. I suppose not everyone had studied him the way I had. In some ways I felt I knew him more than I did. I'd caught myself several times the night before letting on to things a stranger wouldn't know. I'd had to reel myself in often.

But that had all been because I wanted to beat him. I wanted to be the one to take Edward Cullen out of the game. Even if I didn't get any further than two games, I would be victorious in ending the reign of the cocky kid from Chicago.

I did still want that. But after last night, I wasn't so sure he was such a bad guy. He seemed like an arrogant asshole on TV, but last night he was charming and funny. He was kind and chivalrous in letting me through the doors first (before pushing me against them in an amazing kiss). And he was passionate. I was completely lying when I said he was unremarkable.

He was, admittedly, the best sex I'd ever had. Which was unfortunate considering I'd never get to have him again.

I was brought from my thoughts by a knock at my door. I wondered briefly if it was him coming for another sparring match, but I realized it was five minutes to one and he'd be on stage preparing for his first taping to start.

I opened the door to yet another person, a young woman with short red hair, wearing the same outfit as the man outside, headset and all.

"Miss Swan, the first taping will begin soon. Your television should pick it up once the recording starts. You are welcome to watch it before your taping," she said, then turned and moved to another dressing room door before I could say another word.

I walked back to the love seat and turned the TV back on, this time showing a clear picture of the stage where the three contestants were already standing.

Edward, being the reigning champion, was at the first podium. Beside him was an older woman, shorter than him by at least a foot, her hair grey and piled on top of her head. Beside her was a man who looked about my age, with jet black hair and a nervous smile.

I could already tell that Edward had this game in the bag.

I watched as Alex came on stage and introduced himself and the players. It was strange watching without the introduction music or any of the details that production added in. It went straight to the game.

Edward answered the first five questions, and when Eric, the third contestant, finally buzzed in, he mispronounced the word, dropping him in the negatives by $600. Of course, Edward buzzed in right after and said the word correctly, smugly annunciating it as it should be said.

After the first "break" for commercials, Alex did his mini interview with each contestant. Eric nervously stumbled through an explanation of his job as a law firm paralegal. Shelly, the yet to have answered middle contestant, gushed about her chickens that she had at home. They were all named after the Kardashians, and she called them her "Kardashchickens." That made the audience laugh, as well as Alex, as he awkwardly moved on to Edward.

"Well, Edward, you've been on the show for 67 days now. I think everyone is wondering what you do in your downtime, when you aren't demolishing the game," Alex said cheekily.

"Well, Alex, I've recently discovered the Jeopardy! app. In fact, I played for a while last night," he grinned, his eyes shining.

"Oh, I've heard from many that the app is actually more difficult than the questions we ask on the show," Alex stated.

"Oh, I'm sure that's true for many. But I had no trouble with it," he said, looking straight at the camera, straight through it to me. What. A. Dick.

"I'm sure you didn't," Alex chuckled. "All right, contestants. Let's get back to it. Edward, you've still got command of the board."

Command it he did. He continued to answer the majority of the questions. Eric pulled himself out of the negatives. Shelly found herself in Double Jeopardy!, but by the time the game was over, Edward still had a $12,000 lead over them both. They could bet all they had and Edward could bet nothing, and still he'd win. Which settled it. In just over an hour, I'd be facing off with Edward and some other poor soul.

I turned the TV off before I could watch the final question. I knew Edward would win. I didn't really care with what question or by how much he did so.

I looked down at my buzzing phone and opened a text from Rose.

 _Knock 'em dead, today. Love you, B!_

I sent a quick thanks back and then took a deep breath. I was still an hour away from show time, but I felt like I had zero time left.

I was startled by knock on the door. Expecting another khaki crusader, I got up to open it. Before I could say anything, Edward pushed the door in and then slammed it behind him. He grabbed me roughly, though not painfully, and kissed me harder than he had the night before.

This was a kiss of anger. He was out to prove himself. He was making sure I knew how mad he was. He was making sure I wouldn't forget.

"You think I'm unremarkable? Huh? You think you can forget about me?" He asked, both of us breathing heavy, so close we were pulling in the air the other pushed out.

"What are you doing...?" I trailed, knowing this was a terrible idea but not giving a flying fuck.

"I'm showing you how fucking remarkable I can be," he growled, pulling my lips to his again and wrapping my body up in his big arms. He walked me backwards, somehow avoiding the coffee table and pushing me down to the love seat.

"Oh my god," I moaned, as his lips worked my neck, his tongue gliding gloriously across my skin.

I pushed his jacket off of his shoulders and he yanked my blouse up over my head so that I was in my skirt and bra.

I made quick work of his tie and the buttons, hoping he had something else to wear for later but honestly not really caring either way.

"You like that, baby?" He asked, sliding his hand up my thigh and roughly cupping my panty covered pussy. "Yeah, you fucking love it," he said as I moaned, my head falling back against the arm rest.

His other hand moved up my back and clawed at my bra. Somehow the smooth fucker got it off with one hand, pulling it from me so that my chest was bare.

I whimpered as he blew his cool breath across my tight nipple. I thought he was going to take it in his mouth but he stopped, hovering just over me, his breath still fanning across my naked breast.

"It breaks down alcohol and destroys old red blood cells," he said. Wait, what?

"Huh?" I asked, desperation in my voice.

"Answer me and I continue. I said, it breaks down alcohol and destroys old red blood cells," he repeated, his mouth so close to me.

"The...the liver..." I whimpered as he blew again on my nipple.

"Answer it the right way," he growled, his voice low, his chest rumbling against me.

"What is the liver?" I nearly screamed as his mouth latched onto me finally. His tongue swirled and pulled as his left hand found my other breast and squeezed.

After a few long, glorious seconds, he repositioned so that he was over my other breast, fanning his breath across me, again just a few centimeters from making contact.

"This author was inspired to write her Romantic period classic when her husband and friends held a ghost story competition," he said, his sexy voice making every part of me squirm.

"Who is Ma-Mary Shelly!" I said loudly, letting out a long moan to follow when he pulled my tight nipple into his wet mouth.

"Fuck, yes," I groaned, my hands fisting into his hair, ruining the perfect gel creation.

His mouth worked down my stomach, circling my belly button before he slid his fingers into the waist of my skirt and panties. Before he tugged down, he sat up, looking square into my eyes.

I tried to hold eye contact but had to close my eyes when his gaze became too intense.

"You win this type of showdown when your opponent blinks," his whispered, his smug mouth twisting into a sexy grin when I opened my eyes again.

"What is a staring contest?" I chuckled, then moaned as his hands pulled the rest of my clothes off. He pulled his undershirt off so that his chest was bare.

I took a moment to marvel at all the ink, the works of art splattered all over him in a cacophony of beauty and color.

"You're sexy as fuck," he whispered, his hand reaching down to my bare lips, his index finger making a trail along them but not dipping in.

"You're not so bad yourself," I grinned, my eyelids fluttering at the amazing sensations he was giving me.

"This title command by Hozier precedes the line 'I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies'," he said, his finger hovering over where I needed it most.

"What is 'Take Me to Church'?" I replied, breathless as his finger found my clit, wet with the unadulterated eroticism he was giving me.

His finger swirled, sliding down and into me, pumping as his thumb came down on my clit. Damn, this man's hands.

"Fuck, that feels so fucking good," I whimpered, my chest heaving as he worked me into euphoria.

Without removing his hands, he dropped to his knees, his face between my legs. His mouth and tongue found my inner thighs, swirling designs across my skin. I was whimpering loudly now, uncaring as to who may hear.

He switched thighs, kissing until his mouth was level with his still moving hand. He pulled his fingers out and I looked down at him, watching as he took the fingers that had just been in me and slid them into his mouth.

"Mmm, you taste better than any steak or wine I've ever had," he murmured, then put his arms under my legs and pulled me to the edge of the love seat.

He blew his breath over my open, wet pussy, letting the air hit my clit. I shivered violently at the feel of it, anticipating what he was about to do with his talented mouth.

"The official language is this... _tongue_...of the islands' former colonial masters," he whispered from between my legs. Damn it all to hell, I didn't know this one.

"Come on, Isabella," he said, talking directly into my wet center.

"Fuck, I don't know!" I whined, desperate for the answer, desperate for his mouth on me.

"Sao tome," he whispered. "Príncipe," he said, reverently against me.

"Oh, oh! Portuguese!"

"Ah ah ah," he responded, but I could hear that his mouth was opened for what he was about to do.

"Fuck! What is Portuguese?" I screamed, and his mouth crashed into my pussy, his tongue diving into my clit like it was made of fucking sugar.

"Yes, oh my fuck, yes!" I screamed, my legs tightening around his head as his mouth worked me up and down. His tongue dipped into me, swirling and pushing, then slide back out and up to my swollen clit.

His teeth grazed it before he sucked on it, causing me to scream out my orgasm. My legs shuddered hard around him as he licked me through it, letting me ride out my high on his face.

Finally he sat up and stood to his feet, leaving me lying exposed in front of him. I watched as he unbuttoned his pants, letting them and his boxers fall to the floor, his impressive dick springing free. He was erect and glistening with pre cum. Leaving his pants around his ankles, he lowered himself to his knees on the couch and grabbed my legs, turning me so that he could line us up, moving me as if I was nothing.

"Damn it," he groaned, reaching up to clutch his hair. "I don't have a condom."

"It's okay, I'm on the pill. And...I trust you," I said to him. He was a doctor, after all.

"How do I know you aren't trying to get knocked up with the Jeopardy! millionaire's kid?" He asked, smirking as his long cock bounced against me.

"Fuck you," I said, trying to scoot away, pissed at his assumption.

He caught my hips and held me in place, leaning down to line himself up with my entrance.

"That's the intent," he winked, pushing just the tip into me, causing me to forget my anger.

"It's the deadly sin inspired by illustrations in Playboy," he said, unmoving even as I tried desperately to push myself against him, to take more of him in.

"What is lust?" I growled, and was rewarded with his beautiful smile as he sunk into me and leaned down, balancing his weight on his arms on either side of me.

"I think your almost ready to go out there and play, Miss Swan," he breathed, then captured my lips in a searing kiss as he pumped in and out of me. I kissed him back with abandon, tasting myself and him, tasting ecstasy on his mouth.

"Fuck, yes, Edward!" I moaned. "Fuck me harder. Please, please fuck me harder!" I cried.

As he pumped, he grabbed me around my waist and pulled me up with him. He moved so that he was sitting on the couch and I was straddling him, never breaking out connection.

"That's it, baby. Bounce on my cock. Ride me hard. Give me something to think about when I'm out there stomping your ass," he whispered, and I growled, a mixture of anger and pleasure.

"You. Are. Going. The. Fuck. Down," I told him breathlessly, each word marked with a thrust.

"I'd say I already did, angel," he laughed.

We were quiet then as he moved his hand down between us, finding my clit with his thumb.

I had my hands in his shoulders, those beautifully marked up muscles that I wanted more time to explore.

"Fuck, baby. You feel so good," he moaned. I leaned in, putting my lips against his as I rode him, his hips meeting each thrust of mine.

On the brink of my second orgasm, his hands and hips stopped, and I whimpered, so close and needing him just a little bit more.

"Final Jeopardy!, baby," he whispered, his hand still between us as, holding my orgasm just out of reach. "What do you wager?"

"What?" I asked, trying to move again. He kept me still with his other hand.

"You've got $16,000. What do you wager?" He asked again, his low voice all sex and seduction.

"Fuck. I don't fucking care," I whined, struggling to move my body.

"I'll wait," he said, his smile so fucking cocky and beautiful.

"Ugh. All of it!" I screamed.

He started rubbing again, letting me bounce again, but controlling it so that it was all slower than before.

"Inspired by a young adult book series, this was the most popular boy name from 2006-2012," he said with a groan as I worked to bounce harder.

His rubbing got faster, and he pounded into me, rough and hot and raw and perfect.

"Edward!" I cried out, wave after wave of pleasure scorching my veins, making me shake as I felt him growl a "Bella" into my mouth. He let go then, coming inside of me, pumping in rhythm to my own pulsing.

"Holy shit that was good," I said, sighing and letting myself relax against him. He put his arms around me and kissed my head as I laid my cheek on his chest.

"Would you say it was remarkable?" He asked and I just laughed against him.

I sat back up then, looking into his eyes. He gave me a gentle kiss, so different than what we'd just shared.

"Despite my current position, I'm not a whore, ya know," I said. I couldn't keep the hurt from my voice. I didn't sleep around and he was the only one night stand I had ever had.

"I know. I shouldn't have said that earlier," he told me, honesty in his green eyes.

We were startled by a knock on the door.

"Ten minutes to call time, Miss Swan," we heard through the door.

"Shit, I've got to get dressed and fix what you messed up," I said, using my hand to gesture to my face and hair.

"You should leave it. That freshly fucked look suits you," he smiled.

"Edward?" I asked after he'd put his pants and white shirt back on. He'd draped his suit jacket over his arm, and I could faintly see the ink under the white sleeves of his button down.

When he looked at me expectantly, his penetrating gaze less intimidating now that I was fully dressed again, I continued.

"I owe you an apology, too. It was never my intent to deceive you. I honestly just came here to win. You caught me by surprise last night. You were so much more than I expected. I didn't want to scare you off," I explained.

"It's okay, Bella. It probably would have scared me off, and then I'd have missed out on the best sex I've ever had," he smiled, one of the most genuine smiles I'd seen him show yet.

"The best ever, huh?" I asked.

"Don't let it go to your head, Swan."

"I am sorry, though," I said sincerely.

"How about you make it up to me and buy me dinner?" He asked.

"Hmm, I could. Or we could just say whoever loses today buys dinner," I said, throwing his signature smirk back at him.

"Well then I guess you're buying either way," he laughed, leaving the room.

As hot as this had been, I'm pretty sure this was only foreplay for what was about to come.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to my amazing beta, Chicsarah, for reading and rereading this to make sure it was what you all deserved of a second chapter. We hope you guys enjoy what you've CCn waiting for—the big Jeopardy! showdown.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any publicly recognizable characters herein. The questions and Jeopardy! game play are fictional for the story. No copyright infringement of the questions or names is intended.**

* * *

The red haired girl from earlier was ushering me down another hallway and to a set of double doors. They opened into a backstage area, and through it I could see the blue lights of the set. My nerves, having abated slightly with my post coital glow, had returned with a vengeance.

I didn't see Edward anywhere, but it didn't matter because I had to focus now. I'd still come here to beat him. But now I wasn't so much focused on annihilation as I was winning for myself. I was remembering, in these last few days full of surprises, that I was doing this for me.

I followed Big Red around the side wall and onto the stage.

"Okay, Miss Swan, you'll be here," she said, gesturing to the step of the third podium on which I was to stand. I didn't know who would be beside me, but I was grateful that whoever it was would serve as a buffer between Edward and me.

Though, I did pity the unsuspecting contestant for the vortex of sexual tension and heated competition of which he or she would likely be caught between.

I stood at the podium and took a few deep breaths as I heard another of the stage crew walk someone up behind me.

"Miss Webber, you will be here," he told her, instructing the tiny woman to the second podium. Her sleek brown hair came to her chin and framed her vintage chic glasses. She exuded vintage rockabilly with her Mod Cloth dress, inked wrists and classic kitten heels. She even had a dainty ring through her septum, a look that I admired on people who could successfully pull it off and detested on those who couldn't.

"Hi, I'm Angela," she said, turning to me and reaching to shake my hand. Her long stiletto nails looked dangerous as they came towards me, but her smile was genuine.

"Isabella. Well, just Bella," I told her, shaking her hand. I knew my own were clammy with nerves and must have felt gross against her cool fingers.

"I'm so nervous," she laughed.

"Me, too," I smiled.

We didn't say much after that. Small talk would get in the way of our worries and quiet panic. Did we wear the right outfit? Was our makeup still neat? Was our hair in place?

But fuck if any of that mattered, because we were about to be judged by a whole different crowd on our intellect, whit, and speed with the buzzer.

I felt Edward walk past be before I heard him. Being something of a professional at this, he needed no usher to the stage.

I didn't turn back to look at him, but I did cut my eyes slightly when he turned to introduce himself to Angela.

"And you are?" He asked, peeking around her to get a glimpse of me.

"Isabella," I replied, looking up to meet his eyes. "But everyone calls me Bella."

"Pleasure," he said, reaching across the middle podium to shake my hand. Angela awkwardly leaned back, but I pulled my hand away quick.

"I'm Edward. But I'm sure you already knew that," he said, that lazy smirk on his face. Bastard.

That's when I took a good look at him. He'd changed his suit but not shirt - the one he was wearing rumpled and the button undone at the neck. And he hadn't fixed his hair. The usually perfect gel creation was a mess on his head, evidence of the hands that had been buried in it only moments ago. It was my turn to smirk now.

Edward had yet to come on the stage looking anything other than poised and put together. But now, he looked a little disheveled. For the first time, he wasn't even wearing a tie. At least I knew I was knocking him off of his game already.

A producer walked up then and explained to us the rules, reminding us to let Alex finish the question before buzzing in, to answer in the form of a question, to never call out an answer, and to keep our emotions in check. That meant no cursing or other signs of distress when a question was missed.

"Of course, that won't be a problem for you, will it, Edward?" The producer said, a hearty chuckle shaking his shapely stomach.

Oh, blow me. I'm over this fan fair already.

"Miss Swan, Miss Webber, you will see across the way a large screen. When the game starts, that will display you three. Try not to focus on it or let it be a distraction. It's more for the production team and audience. Make sure you keep your buzzer in hand at all times. The pen to write on the screen for Final Jeopardy! is to your right. Go ahead and sign your names to the screen now, please," he instructed, and the three of us began to write.

I'd contemplated writing Isabella, but I figured if I was going to be in my element than I needed to be comfortable, so I wrote Bella across the screen as neatly as possible.

"Alright, guys. Alex will be out in just a few. On my cue, smile and look straight on. We are going to get some footage of each of you to edit in as the introduction for later airing. You'll see me point to you and a light come on above the camera aimed at you. Pay no attention to the other cameras and just focus on me. Good luck, ladies," he said, walking away.

"What a tool box," Angela murmured, making me snort out a quiet laugh. At least she'd also noticed. I guess I wasn't the only one around here with Edward's dick in my hand.

We settled into our standing positions, and I reminded myself to not lock my knees lest I went down in a heap of awkward during the show.

Mike, the producer we'd just talked to, pointed my way and counted down 3-2-1 with his fingers. I smiled as normally as I could, hoping I wasn't giving dead eyes to the camera. When he turned to cue up Angela, I breathed a sigh.

Once he was done recording, someone stepped up to announce Alex to the audience.

He stepped out, and it was severely anticlimactic without the intro music which would be edited in later.

"Folks, we have a fun game for you tonight. Edward is playing for his 68th consecutive win against Angela and Bella. Good luck, ladies. You're going to need it," Alex smirked. What a douche canoe.

"Alright, here are the categories for our first round."

I felt myself relax slightly each time a category popped up that I felt sure of. I was a little wary of the categories pertaining to science, but I just hoped that my wealth of recently acquired knowledge would be enough.

Though the producer had told us to try not to pay much attention to the large screen that showed the three of us, I found it hard not to. I was studying both of my opponents and their reactions to the categories.

Angela looked alert, her posture straight and poised, both hands gripping the buzzer carefully. I wondered if her look was recent, a reformation of a strict childhood. She seemed careful and self-aware, the way a child who'd spent a lifetime aiming for perfection would be. But with that, she also looked confident. The first question hadn't even been read yet, but I could tell she'd be fierce competition. She was smart as a whip, I was sure.

Then there was Edward Cullen, game player extraordinaire, too smart for his own good and just handsome enough to use it to his advantage. He looked smug, not in a way that he felt he was better than us, but in a way that let me know he was sure of his win today. He may have been hell bent on showing me how well he could perform with his body, but he knew that I knew what the rest of the nation knew. He could absolutely perform at this game, and he was, as ever, in it to win it today.

"Edward, as returning champion, you have command of the board," Alex told him, his smile just so that it gave away his excitement at watching someone make history.

This hero worship was getting old.

"I'll take 'Classical Composers' for $400," Edward said. Okay, Bella. Breathe.

"In 1802 he described the humiliation he felt when someone next to him 'heard a flute in the distance and I heard nothing.'"

I thought for a half a second before attempting to buzz in, but it still wasn't fast enough.

"Edward?" Alex asked.

"Who is Beethoven?"

"You got it," Alex confirmed.

"Composers, $1000," Edward nodded, looking so calm it was almost frightening. I blinked quickly away from the monitor, realizing that I was staring too hard.

"This Russian composer dipped into the heritage of neighboring lands with his 'Scheherazade.'"

I didn't even think. I just hit the buzzer, then racked my brain for the answer. I remembered, in an instant, the day I spent in the local library, my laptop opened to several trivia sites, my color coded pens jotting down names and facts.

"Bella," Alex said. If I hadn't remembered the answered, it would have been worth it anyway to see the look of surprise in Edward's face. I'd let him get the first answer, the easy, small amount. He wasn't getting this one.

"Who is Rimsky-Korsakov?" I said, my voice shaky but clear enough.

"You got it, and you're on the board. Go ahead and pick for us," Alex said.

Enough of this pretentious shit. I was going for the categories I wanted.

"I'll take 'Literary Last Names' for $200, please," I said, finding my confidence. It was just the board, Alex, and me now.

"'The Godfather': Sonny," he said. Angela beat us both out this time, answering a little too excitedly with "Who is Corleone?"

She went with the same category, and it was neck and neck between the three of us, but I took the rest of the questions, much to the annoyance of Edward. I could see his eyes starting to roll with his frustration. I'd gotten into his head just as he'd gotten into mine. I was just better about not letting it affect my game, maybe because it was my first game. Maybe because he was losing his touch. Maybe because he'd finally met his match.

When the first break came, it gave us all a chance to loosen up. I felt the tightness in my knuckles from my clutch on the buzzer and set it down, rolling my shoulders and smoothing my blouse.

Almost in an instant, we were getting the cue that the cameras were rolling again and Alex was standing in front of me, ready for the short one on one introductions.

Alex smiled as the producer counted down and then suddenly he was talking.

"Bella Swan, from South Carolina. You're a school teacher, yes?"

"Yes, Alex. High school English," I nodded, my smile huge and nervous.

"But that's not all that you teach, is it?" He asked.

"No, I'm also an adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina, as well. I teach the study of adult literature," I said. I caught a glimpse at the screen and watched the almost imperceptible widening of Edward's eyes.

Alex, of course, made a shady look toward the audience, which elicited a bit of laughter.

"And by adult literature, do you mean 'Fifty Shades-"

"Yes, but we discuss other, better books than that one," I chuckled, and looked up, my eyes focused straight ahead. "Bossy, pretentious men who think they have to dominate every situation aren't really my thing," I said, smirking and knowing I'd probably taken it too far for national television but not really caring.

I was still patting myself on the back, lost in my thoughts as Alex moved on to Angela. I hardly listened to what she had to say, only catching that she worked in PR somewhere.

But when he moved to Edward, for his 68th interview, I had to wonder what he even had to say at this point.

"Well, Edward," Alex started. "You've been in this spot for 68 consecutive days now. I guess that means you've spent a lot of time around town when you aren't here playing the game. Tell me, have you met any interesting folks since you've been here?"

It was probably a little big-headed of me to immediately think he'd call me out, but any nerves I'd managed to calm came back in full force, and it felt like ice water was running through my veins.

"Not too many," he said, and I felt relief through the pounding of my heart that he was keeping it short and vague.

"Well, until last night," he grinned. Mother fucker. "I met an adoring fan at dinner last night. I was surprised she recognized me outside of my suit, but she insisted I give her my autograph," he laughed, his deviant eyes making me want to punch his face.

"Well, I sure hope you obliged," Alex laughed.

"Of course. I even took her up on her offer to buy me dinner this evening," he winked, and I swear he looked at the screen and directly at me.

The audience and Alex laughed at his charm, but my face hardened into a mixture of annoyance, anger, and determination. That pompous prick was going the fuck down right now. Edward may have been trying to distract me from my game, but he may as well have just dumped fuel on my fire.

The rest of the first Jeopardy! round was mostly a back and forth between Edward and me. I felt a little bad that Angela had unknowingly walked into this, but it didn't slow me down.

I took a page out of Edward's playbook, picking questions at random in search of the one Daily Double. Seeing the pissed off look on his face when I found it was almost as glorious as when I had made it a true Daily Double, wagering it all and answering correctly.

It had been a big gamble on my part, since the category hadn't been one I was particularly comfortable with, but my obsessive studying of American history had paid off.

By the time the next break for commercials came, I was in the lead by a small margin. It wasn't enough to make me comfortable, and it certainly wasn't enough that Edward couldn't beat me. Poor Angela looked defeated between us.

I shook out my arms and loosened my hands a bit, unwilling to set the buzzer down. I didn't want to break the vibe I was in, and I sure as hell didn't want to appear relaxed and complacent.

When they cued us back on for Double Jeopardy!, the energy and excitement that had been keeping me going were starting to dwindle. I was getting anxious, and suddenly I just wanted the game to be over. But I knew I had to focus on the moment, because I had work to do.

I kept myself from looking at Edward through most of Double Jeopardy! He was pretty pleased with himself when he landed the first Daily Double, but his face fell when I found the second. I had too much to wager it all now, so I did a quick calculation and made a comfortable bet. The category this time was medicine, and Edward looked particularly salty that I found the Daily Double in the category he probably hoped to dominate.

But I also noticed the slight widening of his eyes, that almost impressed look he was sporting after I answered correctly and increased my amount by $2,000.

About halfway through the round, Edward starting picking from the category I had been dreading, Science & Geometry. I'd studied those topics as much as I could in preparation, but my strength was with literature. I thought in words and stories, not numbers and shapes and theories.

He was dominating the category until the next to last question popped up. I was sure I knew it and for $1,600, I was going for it.

"Scientists use triangulation to locate this, the point on the Earth's surface right above a seismic event," Alex read, and I couldn't buzz in fast enough.

"Bella," he said.

"What is the center?" I stated confidently.

"Oh, sorry, no," Alex said, and my face fell. How could that not have been it? I knew it. I remembered reading it. "Anyone else?" He asked, because I'd answered with time on the board.

"Edward, yes," Alex said. Of course he had an answer.

"What is the EPIcenter," he said, putting a lot of condescension in his answer and exaggerating his annunciation.

"Yes, you got it," Alex told him.

I looked up at the screen and thought I met Edward's eyes. I gave a hard glare just in case he saw me. I was kicking myself for making such a stupid mistake, but he had a way of rubbing salt in the wound.

We spent the rest of the round in the most heated battle of the entire game, with Angela throwing in a few answers but Edward and me continuing to dominate. I didn't miss another answer the entire game, but then neither did he. It was a battle of the buzzers.

Finally, as if the moment would never arrive, the timer sounded that we were out of time with three questions still on the board.

Angela was holding steady at $3,200, but she couldn't catch Edward or me.

He and I were, to the shock of everyone in the studio, nearly tied. I trailed him by only $100.

I was already starting to feel the crushing defeat in my chest, because he could bet barely anything and still win. But I knew he wouldn't do that. He'd bet enough to beat me if I bet it all. He'd risk everything. He had done it so many times in his other games, and I was almost positive there wasn't a question he wouldn't know the answer to.

Even if we both bet it all and both answered correctly, he'd win. I knew he would rather risk losing it all then to risk not going for it.

Alex read the category, "Royal Families," before cutting to the final commercial break. I smiled, because at least, at the very least, I could go down swinging. This may as well have been a category made for me. I'd read countless books, watched tons of shows, and had Rose quiz me on a million different people among a thousand different royal families. At least I'd put up a good enough fight.

When the producers cued us back on for that final time, I took a breath and picked up the pen that was lying beside the buzzer I'd set down.

"Alright, contestants. It's still anyone's game. Let's see the answer."

It wasn't anyone's game. Angela knew it. I knew it. Edward, Alex and the audience knew it. They all assumed it was Edward's game.

When the answer came on the screen, I had to suppress a giggle. I knew this one for a couple of reasons, mostly because of Rosalie's colorful commentary as we'd spent so much time reviewing this topic.

"I bet they smelled so bad back then. God, I bet those clothes got so hot. Ugh, can you imagine marrying a guy that was basically decided on when you were still shitting in your diapers? Or whatever the hell they used back then. Hey, this chick almost has your name. You should be able to remember that. Wait, this guy was nicknamed for his disability? How fucking rude is that!"

She'd had me laughing to the point of tears, which was apparently a very effective study tool.

Alex read the question out loud even though we could see it in the screen.

"This member of the house of Luxembourg was the great-granddaughter of Henry IV, who, despite his full name, had no known vision impairments."

I was thankful for those last two things I'd remembered Rose saying. This particular person did have a similar name to me, and after some explanation, Rose realized that Henry IV the Blind was his actual name, not a cruel nickname.

I quickly wrote down the question to the answer, knowing that I had it right. I chanced a glance up and at my opponents, both of whom were writing confidently.

When the time stopped and we had to put our pens down, I smiled.

"Alright Angela, you're in third so we come to you first. You wrote down, 'Who is Margaret of Bar.' Oh, sorry," he said to her with a wince. Her face fell. "You were thinking of this person's mother. Let's see what you wagered."

I guess she'd felt she had little to lose, also, because she'd wagered all her $3,200.

"$3,200 so you finish with $0. You'll be in third. Let's go to Bella, who I'll bet had a pretty easy time with this one," he chuckled before revealing my answer. "You wrote down 'Who is Isabelle?' You got it! Let's see what you wagered. Wow, you're going to double your score and finish at a very impressive $26,000. Good for you," he said, and despite what I was expecting to come, I felt proud of myself for playing so well and finishing with such a high dollar amount. I felt delighted that'd I hadn't made this a runaway for Edward.

"Alright, Edward. You had just $100 over Bella. Did you wager enough?" Alex asked, and I could tell by his smirk that Edward knew he had.

"Let's see, then," Alex said. But instead of Alex's usual delight, I noticed his face fall, and he looked like he'd been punched in the gut.

"I'm sorry, Edward. The correct answer was Isabelle. You wrote Isabell-A, and we cannot accept that," Alex said, and I watched recognition dawn on Edward's face.

I couldn't believe it. He'd known the answer, even come close to writing it correctly, but had written my name instead.

"Well, let's see what you wagered," Alex said, but I could tell he didn't really want to know.

"Wow. You, uh, you wagered it all."

Stunned silence followed by a collective audience gasp filled the studio.

"That means that we have a new champion. Bella Swan, you'll be returning tomorrow," Alex said, and his glee was resurfacing at the realization that even though his 68 day champ was done, he was now in the presence of the small girl from the south who had stepped up and ended the reign of the second winningest champion in Jeopardy! history.

I'd done it. I'd beaten Edward Cullen. The smile plastered on my face as the audience clapped was one I was sure my dad would replay a thousand times on his DVR.

I chanced a side glance to see Angela smiling proudly, her female solidarity and pride taking over. Behind her was Edward, clapping lightly with a tight lipped smile on his face. He was pissed, but I didn't think it was necessarily with losing. He was more angry that he'd lost to me.

After the recorded talking amongst Alex and the contestants was done, we got the signal that the cameras were off and we could step away from the podiums.

Alex shook my hand in congratulations again and let me know he'd see me back in an hour.

I turned to leave the stage, but as I walked, I could almost feel the penetrating gaze of someone a few feet behind me. Before I could turn around, I felt a hard knock into my shoulder and I lost my balance a little, falling into the wall. I opened my mouth to say something be decided against it when I saw how fast he was walking and how tense his shoulders look.

"Wow, who knew he'd be such a sore loser, huh?" I heard, and straightened up to turn and see Angela smiling at me. "Congratulations, by the way. That was an incredible win." She reached out to shake my hand again.

"Thank you," I smiled. "I mean, I guess I did just end his historic streak," I defended, because as excited as I was, I did feel a little bad for him. He'd been close to being the winningest champ of all time, and I had just annihilated that.

"He'll get over it. Or over someone," she snorted. "Besides, he's always got the Tournament of Champions to play," she shrugged. "Anyway, good game. Once I found out I was playing against Edward, I knew I didn't stand a chance. But between you and me, I'm more excited that I was part of the game that took him out. Even if I did get my ass kicked," she laughed.

"It was cool to meet you. You played a good game. But now I have to go settle my nerves to do it again in an hour," I said with a grimace.

"You'll do great, girly. I'll be watching from my dressing room and cheering you on. Good luck!" She smiled, giving me a quick hug, then turning left into a room that was right beside mine.

I was approaching my room, wondering if I'd have to buy my own victory dinner later, when I heard the door to my right open and felt a hand wrap around my wrist.

Before I could even blink the hard green eyes into view, I was pulled through the door, the slam of it behind me forceful enough to rattle the TV on the wall of the-much nicer-dressing room.

Hands gripped my hips, a firm chest pressed into my back, and hot breath was at my ear.

"I don't like losing, Miss Swan."

* * *

 **Let me know what you think! I anticipate 2-3 more chapters at most. Thanks again to everyone for the love during the contest!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry that this took so long! I hope it was worth the wait. Thank you, as always, to chicsarah, my amazing beta and darling friend.**

 **The floofy in this chapter was inspired directly from my sweet friend, sfspeedy, and her precious dachshund. We share a love of wiener dogs.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any publicly recognizable characters herein. The questions and Jeopardy! game play are fictional for the story. No copyright infringement of the questions or names is intended.**

* * *

"Hold up," I said, spinning around and out of his grasp to meet him head on. "What in the actual hell, Cullen?"

He had at least the decency to look somewhat remorseful, but he remained silent.

"Nothing to say for yourself? Ugh, what an ass," I growled, walking swiftly past him and grabbing the door handle.

"Isabella, wait," he called. "Bella," he amended. "Please don't go."

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes as I blew out, before turning back towards him.

"Edward, I don't know how you treat people where you're from, but shoving people is not okay. That was really rude," I told him, my voice hot with anger.

"I know. I know it was. And truly, I am sorry. I was trying to get away fast, mostly out of embarrassment. Though it's no excuse, I didn't meant to bump into you, especially not as hard as I did," he said. I barely knew this guy, but I felt that he was being sincere. "Were you hurt?" He asked, stepping toward me with his hands stretched out, stopping when he saw me back further into the door. His face fell then.

"No," I grumbled. Not physically, anyway.

"You're sure? I couldn't forgive myself if I hurt you," he said.

"I'm fine," I declared. "I'm going to my dressing room to get ready for the next taping. I'm sorry my winning embarrassed you, but I'm not sorry I won," I said, throwing open the door and leaving no time for him to respond. I went into my own room and locked the door so I could change and regroup.

I wasn't going to let his bruised ego take the wind out of my sails. I won, and I was ecstatic about it. Now I had to prepare to try and do it again.

I spent the next 45 minutes freshening up. I kept my skirt on but changed my blouse, combed my hair, and put some fresh powder on my nose. Though I'd made it through one game, I was riding into the next one on the tails of a legend. I would be in the captain's chair, so to speak. My nerves were back in full affect.

I wanted desperately to text Rose or call my parents. I wanted to share in my celebration with them. I wanted the comfort only the people I loved the most could give me. But I couldn't. They couldn't know yet, because I'd signed the NDA.

With a sigh, I stood and paced for a while. I should have been going over notecards or playing the app. I should have been watching the previous show taping on the TV in my dressing room. But I knew if I saw myself, I'd lose all of my nerve and probably my sanity.

Finally, I heard the knock on my door to let me know it was time to go back to the stage and do it all over again. No wonder they didn't film all five shows in one day. I could barely handle two back-to-back. Five would kill me.

Just as I approached the door, I saw a small piece of folded paper that had been pushed through into the room.

I bent to retrieve it; and, despite myself, I smiled when I read it.

 _"Isabella,_

 _It would be an honor to take the reigning champion out for a celebratory dinner. A bet's a bet, after all._

 _Please, if you'll have me, give me a chance to make up for my reprehensible behavior. You deserve better._

 _Yours,_  
 _Edward"_

He'd scribbled his phone number on the bottom. He was leaving the ball in my court. If I wanted to, I could ignore him entirely.

But I wasn't sure I did want that. Aside from the mind blowing sex, he was slowly letting me chip away at another side of him. I'd wondered if he was more the enigmatic egotist from TV or if he was more the charming, funny man that thought he was meeting an unaware stranger the night before. I'd seen two very different sides of him in two days, and part of me was mad about his Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde routine. A bigger part of me just wanted to know him more, though, and decide later who he truly was.

I put the note in my purse and then slipped from the room, making my way back to the stage for another game. The butterflies in my stomach all but carried me there, and with a deep breath, I took my long awaited step up to the first podium, the coveted spot of the reigning champion. I only hoped I'd get to spend more than one game there.

Later that afternoon, after what had undoubtedly been one of the most exciting and exhausting days ever, I finally pushed the keycard into my door and walked into the hotel room. I'd turned the air conditioner down that morning and welcomed the cold air that blasted me through the door.

I wanted nothing more than to shower and lay down for a nap. I was still tossing the idea of calling Edward around in my head. I knew he'd been sorry for earlier, and his emotions had to have been all over the place. I'd done exactly what I wanted to do, and while I didn't feel bad about winning, I did feel bad for him. Here he was, claiming this mega fame for his incredible game play. He was so close to becoming a record holder, and I'd shattered that.

But mostly, I just felt excited. The high of what I had achieved was finally kicking in, and he was literally the only person I could celebrate that with, because as of right now, he was the only one who knew me here.

That was another thing. He knew me in the weirdest way that no one else did. He didn't know my favorite color or where I worked. He didn't know anything about my childhood or my friends or family. But he did know exactly what made me tick, and if I'm being honest, exactly what made me explode.

I couldn't deny that I wanted to familiarize myself with him in that manner again and again.

I sighed and dropped my bags, kicking off my shoes in the hotel closet and stepping into the bathroom to change.

I laid on the bed, the fluffy down comforter smooth and cool under me. I was cozy in a t-shirt and yoga pants. The hungry, horny side of me was preparing to take Edward up on that dinner date. The lazy side of me never wanted to leave this spot.

I caved, though, thinking this may be my last chance to see him and knowing I'd regret it forever. I grabbed for my phone on the nightstand and opened the text screen, punching in the number as I read it off of the scribbled paper.

 _"Here's your chance to earn my forgiveness. Tell me where and when to meet you._

 _-Bella"_

Almost instantly I saw the response bubbles on the text screen and waited with more excitement than I cared to admit for his response.

 _"I'm willing to do what it takes, my dear Miss Swan. Meet me in the lobby at 8?_

 _-Edward"_

I responded in the affirmative and then rolled over, setting an alarm on my phone and laying it beside me. I'd need to get up and get ready in an hour and a half. That was just enough time for a not quite satisfying nap.

What seemed like minutes later, I dragged myself out of the hotel bed to the sound of my pulsing alarm. It was probably a good thing I was seeing Edward tonight, because I'd have stayed in bed for the next 12 hours if I hadn't been promised food. And, if I was being honest, the idea of spending time with Edward had its appeal. It'd be the first time we were around each other and being completely honest about who we were. Well, if you don't count the exceptional sex from earlier.

I climbed into the shower, feeling the void I always felt when away from home that the water pressure, the temperature, just wasn't the same. But it was enough, so I rinsed off the day's exertions and the busy city stink I had acquired.

When I was done, I reapplied a little makeup and decided my hair was staying in a messy bun for the night. My eyes were also killing me from all day and a nap in contacts, so I popped them out and put on my big hipster glasses. I always got compliments in them, so Edward would just have to appreciate them.

I dressed in black skinny jeans, a flowing cream colored top, and a comfy pair of flats. I looked cute enough for a night out but not like I'd tried too hard. Because let's be real, I didn't.

Once my phone said five minutes to eight, I grabbed my bag and my hotel key to make my way down to the lobby.

The flutters in my belly were a combination of the rapid decent of the elevator and the nerves l felt. We'd been intimate in the most personal of ways and already shared a meal together. Surely I could buck up for a date.

I found Edward sitting in one of the lobby chairs, his long legs crossed as he casually scrolled through his phone. He'd dressed up a little too, with dark jeans and a white button down tucked in. His hair was perfectly gelled again, and his sleeves were rolled up half way to reveal his arms of ink. What a pretty man.

He looked up at the sound of my approach, and I smiled at him.

"Bella," he greeted, standing and walking to me. He bent to place a chaste kiss on my cheek. "Thank you for agreeing to dinner with me. I have an Uber waiting for us outside," he said.

"Sounds good. Lead the way," I told him. Instead he gestured for me to go in front of him and placed his hand on my back lightly.

"So, where are we headed?" I asked as soon as we climbed into the back of our ride.

"Not far. There's this Mexican place that I heard was good. Casa Vega, I think," he shrugged.

"Wait, wait. That's where the Kardashians always go!" I said excitedly, turning to him to see his furrowed brow, judgment on his face. "I mean, that's what I heard, you know," I said quietly.

Then he started chuckling and draped his arm across the back of our seats. "You are just full of surprises, Ms. Swan."

An hour later, Edward was refilling our glasses from the pitcher of margaritas we'd ordered. I had watched him assemble his dinner carefully from a steaming plate of fajitas while I unabashedly inhaled the best taco salad I'd ever had.

As we ate and drank, enjoying the atmosphere of the restaurant, the date came easy. We'd been as intimate as two people could be physically, and it had been phenomenal; but inside I was thrilled to discover that our chemistry didn't stop there. Conversation never died and our laughter was constant.

"So what kind of doctor can take months at a time away from work to become America's favorite game show contestant?" I asked after a sip of water to pace myself a little.

"The kind who owns his own practice," he smirked.

"Ah, so you left a bunch of patients high and dry, then," I nodded.

"No, actually, Dr. Cullen is taking good care of them."

"You referring to yourself in third person now? I snorted. He really was kind of full of himself.

"Dr. Cullen is also my dad. He and I run a family medical practice together. He's been overseeing my patients with the help of one of our friends, who is working part time to compensate for my absence," he shrugged, artfully closing a tortilla around a pile of peppers and steak.

"Oh. Cool," I said.

"Yeah, Dr. Whitlock is one of my comrades from medical school. His wife is our patient advocate and runs the front desk. I doubt they even miss me," he laughed and I smiled.

"And you, Miss Swan? You're a high school teacher and college professor?" He asked.

"I'm mostly just a high school teacher. I teach one college course as an adjunct professor one night a week."

"Ah, yes, the erotic literature class. What got you into that?"

"Honestly, a professor I met in my Master's program was retiring and suggested I'd be good for it. I don't love the material, which is actually probably why he recommended me. I am detached enough to be objective," I shrugged.

"So books about whips and chains don't do it for you?" He asked, reaching to the chip basket to grab one and swipe it through a bowl of guacamole.

"Contrary to popular belief, literature can be erotic without being kinky. Bondage is only one subset. Why, were you looking for recommendations? Maybe something for your flight home?" I smirked, and he laughed before taking a sip of his drink.

"I'm good, thanks. Will you be flying home tomorrow, too, or...?" He asked. I realized that he didn't know I'd won.

"Now Edward, you know better than anyone that I'm not at liberty to say," I said to him, messing with him a little. I didn't think there would be any harm in telling him, but I was going to have my fun.

"Just trying to find out if I'll be facing you in the Tournament of Champions or not," he winked.

"Well, despite my notoriety for beating you, I'll have to win a lot more than one game to be in the Tournament of Champions," I said.

"But you admit you still have a chance? So that means you won your second game today?"

"I didn't say anything," I said, focusing on mixing up my salad a bit more before taking another bite. "So, if it's not too personal of a question, got any big plans for your winnings?" He was a millionaire now, after all. "And I'm JUST making conversation, before you throw in a snide remark," I leveled him. He held his hands up in surrender before explaining.

"I'll probably pay off all my undergrad and med school students loans. And then use the remaining twelve or so dollars for dinner at Chipotle," he said, and I laughed so hard margarita almost went up my nose.

Just then Edward's phone chimed, and he reached into his pocket for it. I watched him open and read the message, smiling broadly at whatever he saw before using both hands to type something back.

When he looked up, he realized that I was watching him.

"Sorry, that was my mom. She was just sending my goodnight picture of my little girl. She's been babysitting while I'm away," he said. I tried to control my face. I really did. But his little girl? He had a kid?

"Oh, I...I didn't realize," I said, trying not to let my surprise chance my voice but failing.

"Yeah, she's my world. Her eighth birthday is this Friday, so I have to make sure to bring her home a present or two," he said, and I swear his face was fucking glowing.

"That's, um, that's cool. And her-her mom-?"

"Is a real bitch. Haven't seen her since Juliette was a baby," he said, but he didn't look angry. He was still smiling, still smirking.

"I...wow." I was at a loss with this new information.

"Would you like to see a picture?" He asked. I wasn't sure, but I nodded anyway, and then felt like a fool when he had his phone in front of me. On the screen was a tiny, long haired dachshund. Her hair was black and brown with flecks of grey.

"Oh my god, you are such a turd," I growled.

"Bella, don't you think if I had a kid I would have mentioned it on the show at some point?"

"I don't know! I don't know your life," I said, angrily tossing my napkin on the table. I was just mad at being duped.

"My only kid has four paws, licks her own ass, and sleeps between my legs every night," he laughed, and despite myself, I grinned.

He told me more about his family then, showing me pictures of his parents. I was surprised to see that his dad had one arm also covered in ink, the other with just a few pieces on it. He looked tall like Edward and had neat, grey hair. He was slender and fit, a nice glimpse at Edward's future. His mom was poised and perfect looking, with long hair a few shades darker red than her son's. Her French tipped nails and extravagant but understated jewelry hinted at money, and her smile looked kind. Edward explained that she was the Vice President of one of Chicago's biggest banks, a respected woman who'd broken many glass ceilings in her 30 year career.

"My parents are amazing. Dad's the sweetest, gentlest person I've ever met. When he thinks no one is watching, I'll see him cuddling Juliette and telling her that 'grandpa loves her.' My mom isn't as secretive about her love for her only grandchild. I'm going to be hard pressed to get my dog back tomorrow night," he said, another reminder that he'd be gone tomorrow.

I put it out of my head and enjoyed our evening as I told him about my own family. We were both only children, so I told him how my dad was police chief of Richland County, where Columbia was, and how my mom was a realtor. They'd been together since I was born, recently just renewing their vows last summer. My mom was your standard well put-together business woman. They'd had me young, so at 48, she was only 20 years my senior. She wasn't as into Jeopardy! like my dad and I had always been, but I knew she was proud of me.

I also told him about Rose, my best friend and roommate since freshman year of college. I showed him a picture of her, and he smiled but didn't seem overly concerned with staring like a lot of men were. She was the kind of woman who turned a lot of heads. His focus seemed to be on me, though. After we ate, we talked more and walked around a bit before calling a Uber to take us back.

"I'm not ready for this to end," he told me, his hand reaching for mine as he slid closer to me in the back seat of the car we were in. He brushed a stray strand of my hair away and looked through my glasses and into my eyes.

"I'm not either," I admitted.

"I'm not sure if I told you tonight or not, but you look beautiful. You are a stunning creature, Bella Swan," he whispered, carefully placing his hand on my chin before leaning in to capture my lips with his.

It wasn't like the heated elevator kisses from the night before or the rough ones from earlier. This was different. It was gentle and soft. It was careful and lovely and heartbreaking, because I was afraid it would be the last of its kind.

His mouth moved with mine, his soft, full lips pressing. I felt his wet tongue slowly meet my own as we both opened our mouths wider for each other. I heard the Uber driver clear her throat and I broke away, but Edward held my head close to his and rested his forehead against mine.

We were both breathing a little heavier, our chests rising and falling to a rhythm.

"I think you were put in my path for a reason, Bella Swan. I would gladly lose a thousand Jeopardy! games to you again and again if it meant another night with you," he whispered. My heart went into overdrive at his words, it both thrilled me and shattered me to hear them.

"What are we going to do?" I asked, sadness thick in my voice.

"I'm willing to do just about anything to make sure this isn't the last time I see you," he said.

"But Edward, you live in Illinois. I live in South Carolina," I said, leaning back in the seat but not letting go of his hand that was intertwined with mine.

"And planes were invented in 1903, love," he said gently, carefully pulling my face back to meet his gaze.

"Was that one of your Jeopardy! questions, or are you just incapable of not regurgitating random trivia?" I asked with a snort and received smirk in return.

"I want more of this. I want more of you. I don't think this was just a 'what happens on live TV stays on live TV' kind of thing, do you?"

"Jesus lord, if what we did happened on live TV, we'd be on a much different channel at a much later time of night!" I joked, and he reached to tickle my side.

"You know what I mean," he said, pulling me close to him.

"I know what you mean," I whispered sadly.

He leaned over and kissed my forehead, my nose, and then my lips gently.

"We will find a way, Bella. I'm already too bewitched by you to let you go now," he said. We finished the ride back to the hotel in silence as he held me close to him, one arm behind me and one wrapped around me stomach, my head on his shoulder. I used my fingers to traced the inky patterns across his arms, and he hummed his contentment at my touch.

How had I met this crazy, sexy, infuriating man just one day ago and was already so transfixed by him? No wonder America loved seeing him on their TVs so much. I was starting to think that once they saw me beat him, I'd have legions of angry mobs chasing me down the streets because of it.

The next morning, I stretched, glad I had stopped after my second drink the night before. I felt alert and well rested. When I rolled over, I was a little sad to remember that I was alone.

Edward had been so sweet the night before, walking me to my room. We'd laid in my bed for what seemed like hours just kissing and eventually undressing each other. The sex had been so different than the first time. Last night it was slow, sexy, careful and long. He'd whispered my name when he came hard inside of me, his lips finding mine as we shook together. Then, when we were done, there was no hurry to part. We laid in each other's arms for the better part of the night, talking more about anything and everything. I'd learned that he didn't have one favorite color. He was mostly just tired of seeing blue. I'd learned that his favorite foods were steak and his Mom's spaghetti. I told him about my Mom's famous cornbread dressing she made for the holidays and slipped up by saying he'd "have to try it some day." I hadn't meant to imply anything by it, but his radiant smile told me he hoped that a "someday" with me would happen.

He held me as I used my right hand to trace the designs over his firm chest. He explained several of the pieces and the meanings behind them.

After several hours, I fell soundly asleep wrapped up with him. I vaguely remember him standing to dress and whispering that he'd see me the next day. When I told him to stay, he'd whispered that I needed to rest up for my games today.

It wasn't until now, the next morning, thatI realized I'd agreed and confirmed to him that I had been the winner.

I took my time getting ready, showering and carefully drying my hair. I dressed in black leggings and a long, navy blue top, grabbing my bag with a second top just in case I'd be playing a second game.

When I went to leave my room, there was another note slipped under the door.

 _"Go kick some ass today, love._

 _Yours,_  
 _Edward"_

I smiled and slipped the note in my purse before heading down to my waiting Uber.

The venture into the studio was much easier today. I was surprised to see that my dressing room had been moved to the champion's dressing room, the one that had been Edward's the day before. And the several long weeks before that.

I hadn't noticed yesterday when he had pulled me in but it was much bigger than my first one. There was a bigger couch, a love seat, and two recliners around a coffee table to the right. There was a full fridge and counter filled with every imaginable snack. A dressing counter, a huge bathroom with, no lie, a garden tub, and a TV twice the size of the one I'd had lined the left wall. A girl could get used to this.

My nerves were there but not nearly as incapacitating as they'd been the day before. I grabbed a Coke and a package of sushi-yes, sushi-from the fridge before going to curl up in a recliner with my cards.

I'd just finished my last roll when I heard a knock at the door. I still had an hour and a half before call time, so I wasn't sure who was on the other side.

When I opened it, I found Edward with a large bouquet of sunflowers, which I'd told him the night before were my favorite flower. When he asked why, I told him that my grandfather had always brought me some when he came to visit, and when he died, my dad made a point to still get them for me for special occasions. I was sure there'd be some waiting on me when I got home.

"Edward, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"I kind of missed the room so I thought I would sneak back in," he said. "Shh," he whispered, quickly glancing down the halls before sneaking in.

"Are you serious? Can you do that?" I asked, my eyes bulging at his brazenness. "What if you get caught or-I mean, is that even allowed?"

"Relax," he laughed, leaning in to kiss me. "I'm just joking, Swan. I was here to do a few interviews and recordings for the studio. That had me record several questions for video clues that will be read on future shows," he shrugged.

I laughed at my own worry, remembering that he was a god among men around this place.

"But I did want to stop by and wish you good luck," he said, handing me the flowers.

"Thank you. These are beautiful," I said, setting the vase in the table. "Want to help me study?" I asked, gesturing to my stack of note cards on the table.

"I fail to believe there is any question or answer on those cards that you don't already know, Swan," he said.

"These are new cards. I have several stacks and grabbed a different one today," I smiled.

He laughed and moved to the big couch. I sat beside him and he quizzed me on the questions for several minutes.

"My head hurts," I sighed, leaning back as I felt his fingers weave into my hair and gently massage.

"You know, they say a remedy for that is an orgasm," he smirked.

I laughed but quieted down when I saw the fire in his eyes. He was serious.

"Let me make you feel good, baby," he whispered. He leaned forward and reached around me for the television remote.

"What are you-?" I started.

"Yesterday's shows should be available to watch," he said, but that still didn't tell me much. He flipped a few channels until he stopped when he saw himself, Angela and I on the screen.

"You looked hot as fuck yesterday. It was no wonder I was distracted. All I could think about were your perfect little breasts, your tight nipples. I could practically feel them in my mouth," he whispered in my ear as I watched us on TV. He ran his tongue around the shell of my ear before brushing my long hair aside and latching on to my neck.

"Your body is amazing; but fuck, hearing how intelligent you are? It's incredible," he said, reaching his hand up to cup my left breast through my shirt.

"Edward," I whimpered as I felt his tongue trace patterns around and around on my neck.

"It's no wonder I wrote your name. All I could think about was your sweet pussy, the taste of it, the tightness of it around my cock."

"Holy fuck," I breathed as his hand slid down and cupped me over my clothes.

"I'm going to eat that pussy and them I'm going to fuck it," he said, roughly rubbing me where I needed him.

"I was so hard listening to you, watching you play. I was glad the podium was there or the entire world would have seen my hard on."

His hand slid up under my shirt and into the waist of my pants, tugging them down and off with my shoes. I reached for him but he stopped me.

"This is about you, sweetheart. Let me make you feel good. Let me love you," he said reverently.

So I did. I let him undress me, insisting that he take his shirt off at least. His body was too amazing to not be admired.

He stood me up and bent me over so that my arms were braced on the table. He got on his knees behind me, his long arms reaching around to kneed my breasts.

"Watch the TV, baby. Watch us up there while I devour you. Fuck, you're so fucking wet," he said before he licked me from my opening up to my clit. I whimpered and moaned, watching the tv, watching us as he continued to lick and suck my pussy.

"Fuck, Edward. Fuck, fuck, fuckkkkkk," I moaned.

"You watching, baby?"

"I'm watching," I squeaked as he latched back on and licked me over and over. His tongue plunged into me, licking me and sucking me as it moved. His lips covered me and lapped up everything I offered as he pulled one hand over and rubbed my back side. His fingers pushed into me while his tongue moved furiously against my swollen clit. It didn't take long before I crashed into an orgasm just as he answered the last question of the round on the TV. My legs threatened to give out but he held me up as he licked me clean.

"How's your headache?" He asked as he stood me up and pulled my back against his naked chest.

"Getting there," I breathed, my body still shuddering.

"I think we can fix that," he smiled, and I heard his pants and belt unlatch, falling to the ground. He sat back on the couch and pulled me down so that I was still facing the TV, watching as we prepared for Final Jeopardy.

He held his hard cock in his hand and lined my wet entrance up to him before carefully easing my down.

"I want you to bounce on my cock, baby. I want to come inside of you as I watch you beat me. I wrote your name yesterday because you were all I could think about," he said, and slowly we started moving together. I slid up and down, feeling the fullness of him inside of me.

"Fuck, Edward. Feels so fucking good," I said, letting him pull me against his chest. His hands caught my bouncing breasts and cupped them, cradling them as he glided in and out of me. His mouth found my neck and the strong muscles of his thighs bounced me faster and faster.

I focused on the TV, seeing something I had missed the day before. When I'd answered correctly and doubled my score, he didn't look mad or annoyed. He looked impressed. He looked at me with lust and care and respect. It was so fucking hot that I screamed as I pulsed around him, my eyes never leaving the tv or him.

"Fuck, yes. I'm going to fucking come, baby. I'm going to-" he said before his legs stilled and I felt him pumping into me, hot and strong.

"Fuck," we whispered at the same time. I turned my head to meet his lips in a lazy, exhausted kiss.

"Headache gone," I breathed. "You're amazing," I whispered.

"Back at ya," he told me, squeezing me around my stomach in a loving embrace.

"When does your flight leave?" I asked, not even worried about the awkwardness of him still being inside of me.

"In a couple of hours. I have to go to New York for an interview with Good Morning, America," he said.

"Oh," I whispered sadly.

"Yeah. They asked me to do one with Fox News, too, but I declined," he laughed.

"Smart man. Wouldn't want to risk running into The Donald," I grimaced.

"Baby?" He asked.

"Hmm?"

"Please, please never mention that racist, misogynistic creep while my dick still inside you again," he laughed, and the rumbling of his chest against my back was the best feeling in the world.

"So it will be? Inside me again, I mean?"

"Yes," he answered without hesitation. "This isn't just sex to me, Bella. This is something real. I can already feel myself falling for you," he said quietly, almost like he was afraid he was saying too much too soon.

"I feel the same," I said, and we kissed again to seal our sentiments.

A knock at the door alerted me that I had 15 minutes to get to the stage.

"Crap!" I said, easing Edward out of me and running to the bathroom to clean up. He chuckled as he dressed when I returned, and he watched me carefully as I pulled my clothes back on.

"Knock'em dead, baby," he said, walking with me to the door as I used my fingers to comb my hair.

"How do I look?" I asked.

"Perfect," he answered. He leaned in for one last kiss before turned to go in the opposite direction down the hall.

"Good luck, Bella. I'll see you soon," he winked.

I sighed, feeling nervous but relaxed, grateful that no matter what happened next, I'd met Edward. He was already proving to be the best prize I could ever have hoped to win.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, friends! I cannot apologize enough for how long this took. But I hope it's been worth the wait.**

 **Thank you, as always, to my beta bestie, Chicsarah. She makes my world and my writing a better place. If you haven't read the one-shot I wrote for her birthday last week, check it out on my page. If you like a good goth-chick/jock high school romance, you may enjoy it.**

 ***I have never been to Chicago, so if it seems like a regurgitated a Wikipedia page, I apologize. This chapter is more about them being together and not necessarily where they are.**

 **Disclaimer: The author does not own any publicly recognizable characters herein. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

"Ready?"

"Ready."

I pressed play on my remote and the music started, and no matter how many times I heard it, I was sure it would always bring flashbacks of my time on the stage.

"So, how was your day?"

"Meh. One of my kids was being a real butthole," I answered, remembering how one of my study hall kids was being such a pill that I finally had to write him up.

"Not a butthole!" Edward mock gasped, laughing on the other end of the phone.

"Yep. Much like you're being at the moment. Now, shush, the game is starting and I don't want to miss a chance to hear him say 'oot' or 'no, sorey'."

"You didn't hear it enough on the show?" Edward asked.

"For him to say 'sorry' in his Canadian accent would imply that I got a lot of questions wrong. And I don't know if you watched, but I didn't," I answered, knowing full well that he knew how long my game play had lasted.

Once I'd kicked Edward off, I'd gone on to win 20 more games, for a total of 21 total wins. I had been just one game shy of beating the record for most games won by a female. But I couldn't be mad. I'd done what I had set out to do and then some, proving myself and playing several phenomenal games of America's hardest game show.

"Going to need you to lose the sass, Miss Swan," Edward said.

"Or what? Going to stick Juju on me?"

"You wait. 'And though she be but little, she is fierce'," Edward laughed, just as I heard a high pitched bark over the phone.

"Okay, Shakespeare. Now shush!"

We continued watching and only speaking to answer questions, most often in a race to see who could answer correctly first.

It had become a thing we did as often as we got the chance since both of us had returned to our homes.

Edward had done a bit of a press tour after his game play, and I'd had to stick around for a few recordings and interviews, but by September, life had settled back to normal.

For the last few months, we talked on the phone when we could, texting in between. We occasionally FaceTimed, but both agreed it was kind of weird and uncomfortable.

True to his word, Edward had made every effort to keep us in each other's lives. We'd decided soon after our short time together that, while what we both felt was intense and worth maintaining, it wasn't something we were in a position to put a title on yet.

The reality was that he lived in Chicago and had a busy life as a doctor, and I lived in South Carolina where my top priorities were always going to be my students.

So while it didn't feel particularly good, and there were days where I truly ached, we'd decided not to be exclusive. If he needed to pursue other ventures to fulfill certain needs, he was free to do so, as was I. Though I'd yet to want to do so, I knew the option was there. Whether or not Edward was using the option I wasn't entirely sure. Knowing that most of his waking moments were spent working, seeing his family, talking to, or texting me, I shouldn't worry. But knowing he could niggled at me.

We'd talked about solutions to our distance, but nothing worked. Neither of us had the time to frequent the other's home state, and people would think we were crazy to pick up our lives and move after only two passionate days together.

In fact, no one in our families even knew of the other. I hadn't told my parents about the man I beat and had mind blowing sex with while in LA, and he hadn't told his either. It was just easier, for now.

Still, I couldn't deny that even through texts, short conversations and the occasional email, I was falling more and more deeply for Edward. Our chemistry, it turns out, was more than just physical. We spent most of our time talking and laughing. There was an openness and honesty to our relationship that I had never experienced with any past lover. It was encouraging, but also made the distance between us harder.

"Alright, it's time for Final Jeopardy! Now I know you've seen the question and answer, so no cheating," Edward said sternly.

"Yes, sir," I replied.

Even though I watched the show with Edward when I could, I had been unwilling to give up my long standing tradition of calling my dad during the commercial break before the final round so we could answer together.

"Good game, Swan," Edward said when the show was over.

"Back at ya, Cullen."

"So, have you started packing, yet?" He asked.

"Ugh, don't remind me," I groaned, turning the TV on mute to focus my attentions on Edward instead of the rerun of The Big Bang Theory that was now playing.

"What? You should already have your bags by the door. In just 72 hours, you're going to be on a plane to Chicago. I expect you to be prepared and timely, young lady," Edward teased.

"Bite me."

"So hostile," he chuckled.

"My plane leaves Sunday morning, so I'll have tomorrow after work and all day Saturday to pack. I need to go shopping anyway. Gotta find something nice for Thanksgiving dinner," I said, already feeling my nerves resurface.

I'd asked Edward over and over again if introducing me to his parents (and for that matter, telling them about us) on Thanksgiving was a good idea. He assured me that they were delighted to meet his guest, and were going to adore me when they found out who I was. Somehow I couldn't imagine the parents of the man whose record I halted 'adoring me', but I was going to trust Edward on this one.

"Okay, just promise me one thing?" He asked.

"Sure."

"Bring that dress you wore on your eighth night of game play."

"Which dress?" I asked, wondering how he could possibly remember what I was wearing and on which night.

"That tight, burgundy wrap dress that had a deep neckline. Oh, and your glasses. Definitely bring those," he said, and I could hear his mischievous grin through the phone.

"You're such a perv," I laughed.

"You miss me."

"I do," I sighed, the reality of how long we'd been apart crashing over me as it did so often.

"I do, too, Bella. But not much longer and I'll have you back in my arms. I can't wait to show you Chicago and make you fall apart in my bed with the city lights all around you," he growled.

"Edward, don't start something you can't finish," I warned, already feeling the tingling between my thighs.

"Baby, you know I'm willing to finish this. Or listen as you finish," he purred.

"No," I laughed. Phone sex was so cliche and awkward.

"I know, I know," he laughed.

"Alright, I'm going to go make dinner before Rose gets home. Text me before you go to sleep?" I asked.

"Of course. Have a good evening, love," he said sweetly.

"You, too, Edward," I sighed.

Two more days. Just two more days.

* * *

"Are you sure?" I asked hesitantly, turning to inspect myself from all of the mirrored angles.

"Positive, B. It looked lovely," Rose said from over the dressing room wall, where she was in the other one stall.

"Let me step out and show you again," I said, reaching for the door.

I heard her sigh but open the door and come out to meet me. She was in her own jeans and a blouse she was trying on, the tags dangling from her armpit.

"Bella, trust me. It looks beautiful on you and will be perfect for Thanksgiving with the boyfriend's parents," Rose assured.

I looked down again at the knee length lace dress I was wearing. It was navy blue with a layer underneath and only the chest and elbow length sleeves showing skin through the lace.

"It really is lovely," Rose said again, and I smiled up at her. "And just be glad you have a boyfriend with a family to impress. I'll be at the hospital in my sexiest pair of scrubs," she winked.

I knew she loved her job, and she didn't show it often, but sometimes I worried if she was lonely. She spent so much time working and hadn't had a relationship since Royce, the dick she dated last year. He was okay at first but he had major jealousy issues when it came to Rose and her career. She'd been in school and working as a nurse for as long as I knew her, and I knew that nothing came between her and her work. She'd settle down eventually, but she was young and driven, and I admired that.

"Technically he isn't my boyfriend. We agreed to not be exclusive," I reminded her.

"No, you told him you thought it was best. He just went with it because he thought it's what you wanted."

"How would you even know that?" I asked, stepping back into the dressing room to change back into my clothes.

"Bella, anyone who has seen you talk to him or about him knows that. He's crazy about you. He doesn't care about dipping his buzzer into another game show, if ya know what I'm sayin'," she laughed.

"You're such a dork," I snorted.

"You love me," she said through the wall, back in her own room.

"With all my butt," I told her.

"Cause it's bigger than my heart," she finished.

We got home a few hours later that evening and I looked again at the suitcase lying open on my bed. I'd be leaving in the morning for Chicago, and yet here my bag sat, empty and alone. My next task was to figure out how to pack all of this stuff without wrinkling it beyond wear.

As I was laying out each pile of clothing I'd be taking, my cell phone started ringing. My heart skipped, as it always did when Edward called, before I realized that it was just my regular ring and not the Jeopardy! theme song that I may have set for his ring tone.

I looked at the phone and groaned, knowing what was about to come.

"Hi, mom," I said, gritting my teeth and trying to sound cheery.

"Hi, sweetie. How's your evening?"

"Not bad, mom. Yours?"

"Oh, good. Just unloaded the groceries and put the bird in the freezer," she laughed. "I think I've got everything set for Thursday's dinner. Just have a few more things to grab when it gets closer," she explained.

"That's good, mom," I told her.

"Now, I know you said no already, but are you sure you can't come to dinner? I just don't understand why, Bella," she said, her tone taking on the edge of sadness.

"Mom, I told you. I'm going out of town for the holiday," I said again.

"I know, I know. For a show thing. I just don't get why they would schedule something over the holiday week," she sighed.

"Well," I started, not really sure I was ready to fess up completely but deciding it was time to just come clean. "It's not really a show thing," I started.

"But you said it was a Jeopardy! thing. In Chicago," she said, confused.

"It is in Chicago. But it's not really something for the show. It's more for someone. A man. My boyfriend," I cringed.

"What? When on earth did you meet someone from Chicago?" She screeched. "Did you meet him on the Internet? On that 'Greg's List' website? Isabella, tell me you are not going to meet some stranger by yourself!" She was all but screaming now.

"Okay, first of all, Craig's List, mom. And Jesus, stop watching so much Lifetime," I said.

"Bella, I'm serious, what's going on?"

"Mom, it's a boy-a man-I met in LA when I was there for the show. We went out a few times and really hit it off. He's from Chicago and invited me to come stay with him and his family for the holiday. And before you ask, yes, you will meet him soon enough. He's coming here for a week over Christmas," I said in a rush.

"Bella, how much do you know about this guy? He's just some man you had a fling with in LA?"

Technically that was true, but she didn't need the details.

"Mom, we spent a lot of time together." She also didn't need to know how much 'a lot' was in this case. "We talk daily and he's even talked to Rosalie. She loves him and knows how much I care about him. Please, just trust me. I'm a grown woman. I can take care of myself," I said.

She sighed in defeat.

"I just worry, baby," she said finally.

"I know you do. But I promise there's no need to. He's a great guy and I trust him completely."

"Your father isn't going to be happy. He's going to want to know details of where you're staying," she said.

"I'll email you the address and phone numbers in case I go missing," I said offhandedly.

"Bella!"

"Joking, joking! Relax," I laughed.

We got off the phone a short while later, and I groaned, looking back at my suitcase and already dreading the task at hand. I tried to pep-talk myself and remind myself that packing for a month in LA, especially not knowing I would be there a month, was accomplished. Surely I could manage packing for a week with Edward and his family.

* * *

The next day, I stepped off of the plane for my first visit in Chicago. The plane had been small, and rather than a terminal, we stepped off onto the runway and walked into a ground floor door that was but a speck of the giant that was O'Hare.

I wrapped my coat tight around my shoulders against the November cold and made my way in. I found a quick place to stop and text Edward, letting him know I'd arrived and was heading to baggage claim. In all my efforts, I hadn't been able to pack everything into a small enough bag to just bring a carry on, so I'd had to check one small suitcase, as well.

I followed the boards and signs of the overwhelming airport to where my flight's baggage would be, finally finding the conveyer belt where it'd eventually come out.

I kept looking around furtively, still not seeing a familiar face, so distracted that I nearly missed my bag when it came by. I grabbed it and pulled up the handle, turning to roll it away and check my phone again, getting a bit anxious that I had no texts and hadn't seen Edward.

Finally, I heard a chime and saw a text that just said "Look up."

It took my eyes only seconds to find his tall, blue jean clad frame, a thick pea coat and scarf covering his broad shoulders, hiding that ink that I loved so much.

When I finally met his eyes, I smiled and was greeted with his brilliant smile in return. I walked quickly towards him, confusion probably evident on my face the closer I got. When I reached him, I glanced quickly at his head, trying but failing to hold in my laughter.

"What?" He asked, his brow furrowed as my chortling got louder.

"Your..." I snorted, trying to catch my breath. "Your hair, it's..."

He sighed, clearly unamused.

"I haven't had time to get it cut, okay?" He asked, annoyance etched on his face.

"I'm sorry, it's just, I didn't expect a-a man bun! What in the world do your patients say, Dr. Hot Stuff?" I said, bursting into laughter as he turned, giving me a better view of the back.

"You can take the next flight back home, you know," he grumbled.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry. It just caught me off guard. It looks-" I snorted again, "cute."

"Whatever," he said, grabbing my suitcase handle that I'd let go of in my laughter and turning to briskly walk away from me.

"Edward!" I called, walking fast to catch up with his long strides. "Edward!" I breathed, catching up to him and grabbing him by his arm.

He stopped and turned, his expression blank.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to make you feel bad. It's cute," I said honestly. He didn't need to know that it reminded me of a funny meme I'd seen with a Corgi and a garlic knob on its head.

"Please?" I said, stepping closer to him when he still didn't respond.

"Please, what, Isabella?" He finally said.

"Please will you kiss me like you're a soldier just home from war and we haven't seen each other in four months?" I asked, leaning into him and gazing up.

He gave me a look deep in the eyes before pulling his arms up and using his big, warm hands to cup my face. He leaned in slowly, his eyes never leaving mine as his thumb traced my bottom lip slowly, sending chills through me at his touch, which I hadn't realized until now how much I had missed. My body felt like it was alight with a fire that had been laying dormant for months, and as his breath met mine and our lips drew closer, I felt revitalization in the breath he gave me, so close that I could survive solely on his air, his electricity. My eyes fluttered as our lips started to touch, feather light and so careful. Just as I anticipated more pressure, suddenly the light that he'd been blocking was back in my eyes and I felt coldness on my now bare cheeks.

I opened my eyes, confused as I watched him grab the handle of my suitcase once more and start walking away again.

"What the hell, Edward?" I asked, breathless from my jog to catch up again and also from the almost kiss.

"Wouldn't want you be seen kissing me and my man bun in public," he winked.

I growled, hoisted my bag over my shoulder, and walked ahead of him, stopping short when I realized that I had no idea where I was going. He caught up to me quickly and I heard his soft chuckling as we walked side by side. I glanced sideways at him and he at me, and we both smiled as he reached carefully for my hand with his free hand, leading us out of the airport and into my life's next big adventure.

* * *

"So, how tired are you from your trip?" Edward asked, guiding us out of the airport guest lot and making his way towards the road.

"Why? Got big plans for me?" I asked, trying to wink but probably looking more like I had an eyelash in my eye.

"Miss Swan, do you think of anything else?" He asked.

"Look, it's been four months. Sue me," I shrugged, unapologetic about my excitement to experience being naked with Edward again.

"We've got all week, my dear. And I promise to make it worth the wait," he said, grabbing the hand that I had resting on my knee and bringing it to his mouth for a gentle kiss before dropping it back to his lap without letting it go.

"Hmm," I smiled, looking out of the window of his shiny, sporty Volvo and into the streets of this new place.

"I was actually thinking we could drive around a bit. I could show you some of the sites, maybe grab some lunch. Then we can head back to my place," he suggested.

"Does Chicago have so little to offer that we can take it all in on one Sunday afternoon?" I asked.

"Oh, contraire. Chicago has more than we could possibly see in a day or even this week. But I figured we could ride around and make notes of places you'd like to come back to throughout the week. Most will be shut down on Thursday, and Friday will be filled with Black Friday shoppers. I want to show you as much as I can in the next three days," he answered.

"Okay, sounds good. Where you lead, I will follow. And yes, I just quoted the Gilmore Girls theme song," I said. He just looked at me blankly. "Never mind," I mumbled. Maybe while I was here I could catch him up on some of the TV treasures he was missing.

True to his word, Edward showed me as much as he could in the big city he called home. We drove past several famous buildings, beautiful churches, Wrigley Field, and Cloud Gate, where he let me get out to take some pictures and send Snapchats to Rose and a few others back home.

We drove down The Magnificent Mile, the Chicago Riverwalk, and Millennium Park with promises to hit the Art Institute, the Shedd Aquarium, and a few of the sky decks later in the week.

Finally, after a few hours and lunch at Edward's favorite pizza place, we weaved back through traffic to a tall building we'd passed earlier. Edward turned into a driveway that held a gate and rolled his window down to punch in a code, waiting for the gate to lift as he drove in.

Once he parked, we got out of his car and he retrieved my bags from the trunk, insisting on carrying them for me.

I followed him through the sliding door to the lobby and straight to a set of elevators. He pressed the button, and before long one had arrived to the floor. I stepped in before him and watched as he pressed the button numbered 22. The buttons went up to forty, but 35-40 had keyholes beside them.

We were silent, each of us in opposite corners, when suddenly he turned to me swiftly, pushing me against the wall of the elevator. His hands found my hips, holding them tightly as his eyes sought mine. I put my hands on his thick biceps, and my smile was all the invitation he needed to finally, finally put his lips to mine. The kiss was rough and hard and sensational in a way I'd never been kissed before. Never had I let months of desire build up, months of growing passion culminate and crash into something so explosive.

His tongue coaxed mine from my mouth and his lips pulled at mine, lavishing them with breath and strength and passion.

"Oh my god," I whimpered, throwing my head back as his mouth found my neck and gave it the same attention it'd given my mouth.

When he finally pulled away, he set his forehead against mine, and again our eyes met.

"Fuck, I missed you," he whispered, gravelly and breathless.

"Uh huh," I managed to stutter out, smiling before he reached to put a kiss on my forehead, then my nose, then lightly to my mouth just as the elevator dinged that we'd reached his floor.

He grabbed my bags in one hand and my hand in the other, pulling me out and turning left to walk down the hall.

We got to his apartment and he pulled out a key, opening the door and allowing me to walk in first.

The apartment was smaller and more modest than I anticipated, but no less beautiful. We entered a foyer that led into a small living room, with a cozy couch against a floor to ceiling window that overlooked the city. There was a big flat screen to the right, against the wall, and a coffee table and love seat situated around it as well.

To the left, a sleek and modern kitchen held dark granite tops and a small breakfast bar. There was a four top table behind the bar, overlooking the city, as well.

As we turned into the bedroom from the living room, I saw another floor to ceiling window that the bed faced. There was no TV, but a large bed, dresser and nightstand. There were two doors on the right that I assumed were the bathroom and closet.

"Your apartment is nice," I said, walking over to the window and taking in the view. "This is breathtaking," I whispered.

I could see how one would enjoy waking up to this every day, and though I still had no desire to live in such a big city, I was excited to explore it more.

"It's not much but it's home," he winked, dropping my bags into the closet that he'd opened the door to.

I turned back to look at the bed and noticed a lump in the middle, under the covers. It moved slightly and I jumped.

"Uhh," I said, pointing to it. Edward chuckled.

"Juliette, we've got company," he called. The lump moved a little more and a small bark came from it. Edward laughed again before reaching over and tickling the blankets. The lump started moving and made its way out from under the blanket. Juliette appeared, popping her little head out before jumping to the floor and shaking her ears out.

"I don't know if I should be impressed or alarmed that she found her way under there without messing up your perfectly made bed," I laughed as Edward swooped to pick up the little dog.

"Dachshunds are expert hiders and burrowers. The bed is her favorite spot," Edward said, walking towards me with her in his arms. Maybe it was just me, but she was looking at me with an almost glare.

"Juju, meet Bella. Bella, this is Juju," Edward said. "Just let her sniff your hand," Edward told me, so I carefully held my hand out to her. She inspected it and used her nose to decide if I was worthy or not. Apparently I wasn't, because she simply turned around and reached up to lick Edward on the chin.

"She's not good with strangers. She'll warm up to you," he said, setting her on the bed where she promptly ran to the side and jumped back down, exiting the room.

"Wait, if you live on the 22nd floor, doesn't that get exhausting? Taking her out I mean?" I asked. I couldn't fathom constant potty trips to the street living in this high-rise.

"I don't have to take her out," he shrugged.

"Edward, if you're one of those gross people like on the Hoarders show that just lets your animals use the bathroom all over the house, then I'm sorry but this will not work," I said sternly, already prepared to bolt.

"Would you relax? She is perfectly trained, specifically for high-rise apartment living. She has her own litter box in the laundry room where she does her business discretely and privately," he explained, as if he hadn't just told me that his dog used a litter box.

"She has a-what?" I asked.

"A litter box. They make them for dogs. Pretty common for people who live in the city and have small dogs. We still go on walks and to the park, but neither she nor I have any interest in early morning and late night trips downstairs and into the cold for tinkle breaks," he explained.

"This is...weird," I said.

"No weirder than a cat doing it. It took months of training, and I'll have you know that her box gets scooped two to three times daily depending on how active she is. Did you smell anything when you came in?" He asked.

"No," I answered. It has just smelled like fresh laundry and maybe a Glade plugin coming from somewhere.

"I know it sounds like I'm a crazy dog person. But honestly I've had her since I was in med school. She lived at my parents' house when I got her at 26. She's 10, and she's my best little friend," he said.

"Calm down. I get it. It's sweet. I just never grew up with pets so this whole concept will just take some getting used to," I explained.

"Anyway, she'll stay tucked against me tonight when we sleep, but if you want, I can take her to my parents' and they will keep her while you're here," he said, though the look on his face told me he didn't love that idea.

"Edward, the dog is fine. Honestly. She's cute. Maybe I'll win her over with one of those bacon strip treats or pepperoni sticks or something. Dogs love those, right?" I asked.

"No!" He gasped, putting a hand over his chest. "She only gets organic, farm raised chicken jerky!"

I just stared blankly, questioning what I'd gotten myself into, before he burst into a laughter.

"Totally kidding, she eats her own shit out of the box if I don't scoop in time. But you should see your face," he said, laughing loudly.

"Careful, pony boy, your hair is bouncing," I smirked, only to be met with him lunging at me and tackling me to the bed, where we fell in a fit of laughter as he tickled my sides.

* * *

Later that evening, as we finished off boxes of Chinese food that Edward had ordered, we were on the couch watching Netflix and talking. For as often as we talked, we never seemed to be without words, and it was in these moments, just sharing myself with Edward, that I could truly see a future.

I won't lie and say I wasn't anticipating what going to bed later would bring, but I felt so much romance and passion in just the way he held me against him on the couch and kissed my head every now and again while we watched Friends and laughed together.

Juliette was sitting on the love seat across the way, giving us, or more specifically me, the hairy eyeball. She was not amused that I was cuddling her daddy, and made it known the entire evening with the distance she put between them.

"I'll be right back," Edward said eventually, placing a kiss on my head before standing and walking towards his room.

While he was gone, Juliette raised to sit and stare at me some more. I kept trying to look away, to take in the evening Chicago skyline, but the feeling of being watched was too intense.

Thankfully Edward returned quickly, and I looked up as he called my name to see him standing in the door waving hair clippers in his hand, the cord dangling to his feet.

"Edward, if you needed to man-scape, you should have done that before I got here," I said.

"Funny. No, actually, I don't need to shave my balls. I need to shave my head," he said with a smirk.

"What? Why?"

"Because this week is going to be busy and my normal barber is booked up before Thanksgiving. I used to keep it shaved close to my head with just a little hair. I can do it again," he said.

"Edward, I was just joking about the hair. Please don't think you've got to do this for my benefit. Besides, it'd give me something to grab onto later," I said, throwing a smirk back at him.

"Contrary to your beliefs, Miss Swan, not everything I do revolves around you."

"What? I'm out," I said, dramatically standing from the couch and making a pretend move to the door.

"Oh, no you don't," he said, meeting my moves and grabbing me around the waist, pulling my back into his chest. "Please? Will you do this for me?"

"Edward, I've never cut anyone's hair in my life! Well, unless you count that one time I tried this weird twisting technique to cut my bangs. But trust me, that was a terrible idea. I looked like Jim Carrey from Dumb and Dumber and it took forever to gro-"

"Bella," he said, cutting off my babbling. "I trust you, baby. It's easy. You just go in rows from front to back. It doesn't need to be a style. Just a buzz cut all the way around," he said.

"Edward, I don't know," I whined.

"Please? My mom will love you for it. She's been hounding me about my hair for weeks now," he said.

I sighed in defeat.

"Fine. But if I screw this up, you cannot be mad at me."

"I won't."

"I'm serious."

"I promise!"

And that's how we found ourselves a few minutes later in his large bathroom, Edward sitting in a kitchen table chair facing the open door into his bedroom and me in front of him, the clippers sitting ominously on the vanity beside me.

I reached around and gently tugged the hair band that was holding his hair in the bun, pulling it free so that his hair fell around his face. It was clean and soft, and I couldn't resist running both of my hands through it, carefully scratching at his scalp as I did.

"If you keep that up, I may never let you cut it," he groaned, his eyes fluttering closed in the picture of relaxation.

"Fine with me," I whispered, still completely unsure of what I was about to do.

"Bella," he said a few minutes later, and I stopped rubbing his head to see him holding the clippers up to me. "It's time, love."

I clutched them anxiously, taking a few seconds to figure out how to best hold them, before looking down to meet his gaze.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Go for it, angel."

I sighed nervously and turned the clippers on, their loud buzzing filling the room. Tentatively, I set them on his forehead, and slowly, carefully pushed back to make the first swipe, bending to reach all the way around his head.

I took a deep breath, relieved that so far it wasn't so bad.

On the second swipe, I had to lean closer, pressing my chest right into Edward's face.

"Hmm, this is the best haircut ever," he said, using his hands to grab my hips and hold me in place while he buried his face deeper into my chest. He blew out a breath of hot air that went straight to my nipples, causing them to poke hard through my bra and my pajama t-shirt.

"Edward," I giggled. "Stop or you'll make me mess up," I said sternly.

"Sorry," he mumbled, leaning back but not taking his hands off of my hips.

"No you aren't," I laughed.

"No, I'm not," he agreed.

"Be still."

I continued row after row, watching clumps of his coppery hair fall to the clean, white floor below and make way for his smooth head. The hair deep at his roots, which was all that was left on one side of his head, was darker than I expected, almost black. I had to admit that so far, even without his usual crop of hair, this short shaved look was pretty hot.

As I continued, I tried not to be distracted by Edward's light touches. His hands held my waist tightly, his thumbs dipping under my shirt to stroke the skin at my sides. It was erotic in its innocence, how he was barely touching me and lighting me on fire all at once.

When I was nearly done, he placed his whole hands inside my shirt, rubbing up and down my bare back as I buzzed off the last few strands of hair at the nape of his neck.

Finally, I managed to cut all of his hair despite his best efforts to distract me, and by the time I turned the clippers off, we were both breathing hard enough that the sound followed the echo of the buzzing.

"Edward," I said, as I carefully set the clippers back on his vanity.

Wordlessly, he pulled me down to him so that I was straddling his legs. I could feel him, hard and straining against his plaid flannel pajama bottoms, his arms stretching his cotton white t-shirt across his back as he wrapped them around me.

I looked down at him and he bent his head up, meeting my mouth in a fiery kiss. Our mouths were desperately searching for each other's, our breaths heavy and loud.

I moved a little to grind against him, feeling the wet heat between my legs at the feel of him and the sound of his deep moan.

"Fuck, baby," he said between kisses, his hands sliding down to cup my ass and squeeze it, his long fingers dipping nearly into my pussy as he did.

"Oh, fuck," I moaned, as his mouth sucked on my collar bone.

"I want you so bad," he said, but suddenly I stopped him.

"Wait, you gotta look at your hair," I said.

At the same time, we turned our heads to look into the bathroom mirror, staring at his head and then at each other.

"Fucking hot," he said.

"Wow, conceited much?" I asked, turning back to look at him.

"I was talking about you," he said, turning to look at me and crystallizing his point by thrusting his hips upward so that his long length pressed against me harder.

"Fuck," I moaned, and without another word, Edward kept his hands on my ass and stood as if it was nothing, carrying me backwards to the bed and gently laying me across his soft, down comforter.

I looked up at him as he pulled his t-shirt off, revealing more of my favorite inked chest, my eyes drinking him in and memorizing what I'd nearly forgotten in the months we'd been apart.

I sat up and pulled my own shirt off, revealing my lacy bra that did little to cover my painfully hard nipples.

"You're fucking gorgeous," he said as I leaned my head back, feeling my long hair brush against my bare back.

I placed my feet on his hips, trying to use my toes to get his pants off. He laughed before reaching for my feet and tickling the soles.

"Hmm," I whimpered, pulling my legs back and away. He laughed again and used his own hands to pull his pants off. He hadn't been wearing boxers, and his hardness sprang free as he pants fell to the floor.

He grabbed the ankles of my pants, tugging them down so that they slid over my hips and off of me.

I scooted back towards the center of the bed as he climbed up on his knees and moved toward me.

"You're still wearing too many clothes, my darling," he whispered, reaching one hand behind me to unhook my bra. I eased the straps over my shoulders and tossed the garment away, my nipples pebbling tighter against the cool air.

Edward looked almost ethereal above me, the only light the glow of the city outside his windows.

He leaned down to kiss me, pulling away to slowly trail down my chest, capturing my right breast in his clutches as he peppered it with kisses before sucking my peak into his warm mouth.

I moaned, feeling my panties grow wetter as he swirled the tip of his tongue around and around, my hands beside me clutching at the soft blankets beneath us.

He moved to my left breast, his hard dick pressed against my center as he thrust into me, the friction of my lace panties eliciting pleasure for both of us.

He moved down further, licking a trail until he got to the top of my underwear. Rather than pulling them off, he continued to lick me through the lace, putting heat and pressure on my pelvis, then my lips, finally cupping his hot mouth over me, licking fast and hard through the fabric.

"Oh my god, don't stop!" I cried, but just as I did his tongue stilled. It only took moments for him to reach up and slide my panties down and off before his mouth was buried back between my thighs.

I felt his tongue pulse against me, lapping up and down my slit as he alternated hard flutters to my clit with pulsing probes inside of me.

"Yes, fuck, yes!" I cried as I came hard in his mouth, feeling him continue to lick until

I rode out my pleasure.

When I was done, releasing my white-knuckle grip on the blankets, Edward kissed his way back up my stomach, making me giggle as he left a trail of feather light kisses to my sides and up across my chest.

"That was incredible," I sighed, and how could I have forgotten how talented he was with that tongue?

He smirked before pushing himself hard against my now soaking entrance.

"Wait! I wanted to return the favor," I frowned.

"We have all week, my love. Right now I just want to be buried inside that heat for as long as you'll have me."

"Forever," I moaned, feeling whole and perfect as he pushed into me, filling me to the brim and holding onto me as if he'd been as desperate for this over the last few months as me.

"No one," he said, thrusting hard. "No one else but you," he said, his colored arms pulsing with the muscles he used to hold himself up and push himself deeper.

"Only you," he said through gritted teeth, and my smile turned into a moan.

"Only you," I whispered back, feeling him spill blissfully into me.

* * *

 **Happy Friday! Let us know what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you all for your patience in waiting for this chapter. I owe most of it to Chicsarah, who cowrote this and used her magic to make it readable.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or Jeopardy!**

* * *

I woke up the next morning to a sunny, clear sky outside of the window. Edward's apartment really did offer a breathtaking view. I stretched, looking over to see the bed beside me empty, but hearing the shower running from the bathroom.

I rolled over in the cool, smooth sheets, warm in my pajamas and the snuggly blankets of Edward's bed. There was a smile on my face as I turned to appreciate the view some more.

Just as I did, a little brown body of fur caught my eye and I jumped, letting out a startled yelp. Juju was sitting up by the bed, staring at me with her cold, unblinking glare.

"Jesus, Chewbacca," I said, putting a hand over my heart and feeling the rapid beating of it. "Make a sound or something, you little monster."

At that, she let out a low, rumbly growl.

I looked back at the bathroom door and still heard the shower going, so I turned back to Juju and bent down so that I was hanging out of the bed, leveling a glare but not getting too close.

"Alright, listen. I know your dad adores you and you're the family favorite or whatever. But I don't think you're very nice, and I don't appreciate this behavior. Now I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt because I'm the guest, but you have got to lighten up."

She, obviously, said nothing. But that little bitch knew what she was doing.

Edward had promised that she always slept behind him in the crook of his legs, so we'd be able to cuddle all night. So after a shower, a sweep of the bathroom floor, and round two of catching up in the bedroom, he opened his door to let her in and we all three climbed in bed.

And wouldn't you know, she decided that she wanted to be spooned by him, climbing right in between us and stretching out, effectively distancing me as far from Edward as her little 12 pound body could.

Edward had laughed and moved her around behind him, but she simply jumped out from under the covers, climbed over Edward, and planted her furry little ass right in between us again.

This happened about five times, with Edward's constants apologies in between.

"Edward, just leave her," I finally said with an aggravated sigh.

"Are you sure? I'm really sorry," he said.

"It's fine," I'd grumbled, rolling over and falling quickly to sleep, grateful that I'd put my pajamas back on since I'd be lacking Edward's warmth.

I was brought back to the present when I heard the bathroom door open with a pop, the sound of the vented fan in the bathroom growing louder as Edward pulled open the door wider.

"Hey, you're awake," he said, and I gave one last glare at my nemesis before turning to smile.

"And how's my girl this morning?" I heard him ask, but before I could reply, I watched his shirtless arms swoop Juju up to cuddle her and rub her belly.

I flopped back to the bed, wondering if I could convince Edward that maybe taking Juliette to his parents' for the rest of the week wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Later that morning, after we were both showered and cleaned up, Edward and I went down to his car to go explore. He'd promised to take me around to some of the Chicago landmarks, but first we stopped for breakfast at a cafe a few blocks from his place.

"So, last night was fun," he smiled before taking a sip of coffee.

"It was," I nodded. "Though, I got to be honest, it wasn't the best sleep I've ever had." He winced a little.

"I'm really sorry about that. I can try kicking her out of the bedroom, but she will probably keep us up all night yipping at the door," he frowned.

"It's okay. Maybe she will get used to me," I said, lifting my bagel to take a bite. "Or maybe I'll just sleep on the couch," I grumbled. Edward's eyes snapped up to mine, blazing.

"No! I don't want that, I will definitely make it work," he said contritely. "I know she's a bit of a princess, but I don't want you to feel that I don't value that you are here. I missed you."

We spent the rest of the day visiting landmarks, taking pictures, and getting a little Christmas shopping done. I felt so happy just getting to do these things with him.

Neither of us discussed our financial situations much, but after taxes we'd both netted an exorbitant amount of money from the show. I'd promptly gone to a trusted financial advisor to put the majority of it away for retirement. I'd kept a little out, putting some towards my classroom, donating some, and planning to use the rest to go a little overboard on Christmas gifts this year.

We window shopped until we saw things we had to get. I bought my mom a Tiffany & Co. bracelet and earrings, something she'd always wanted but would never buy for herself.

I found Rose a Kate Spade purse with a matching wallet, knowing she'd be annoyed at the money I spent but would love it anyway.

My dad was a little trickier, so I held off on him, but watched with delight as Edward bought several things for both of his parents.

"I love buying stuff for other people," he smiled as we loaded bags out of his trunk later that day, exhausted from all of the walking and spending.

"So do I," I laughed.

We made our way up to his apartment with our purchases, and then both flopped onto the couch.

Juliette didn't come out to greet us and I figured maybe she was hiding from me. Fine by me.

"I'm going to take a quick shower and then we can go get some dinner somewhere," he suggested. My stomach rumbled at the idea, our breakfast from hours before long gone.

"Okay. I think I'll grab a shower, too," I said.

Wordlessly, Edward reached for my hands and pulled me from the couch.

"What are you-?" I started, catching on as he led me into his bedroom and then turned right into his big bathroom. "Oh," I said breathlessly.

He shut the door behind us, flipping on only the low lights over the shower, and then turned to pull me into him.

"I've been waiting to get you undressed all day," he whispered, pressing his hands to my face and pulling me in close. His lips met mine in a soft but insistent kiss. I opened my mouth to him, letting his tongue sweep into my mouth.

His hands moved to my shoulders and slid down my arms, reaching for the hem of my shirt. He pushed his hands, still cool from the outside air, against my lower back. I shivered when they made contact, eliciting a chuckle from him that was cut short again by our fevered kissing.

Finally he broke away to pull my shirt up over my head, leaving me in leggings and lacy blue bra.

"Fuck, you're gorgeous," he whispered.

I slid my hands into his shirt, feeling the tightness of his back as I ran my hands up as far as they could reach.

"Take this off," mumbled into his mouth. He complied as I reached behind me to unhook my bra. Finally we were skin to skin, my cold, pebbled nipples pressing into his warm, hard chest.

"Fuck, baby," he said as I reached down to his erection and rubbed him through his jeans.

"That's the idea," I said, using both hands to unzip his pants and slide them down his hips, taking his boxer briefs with them.

"Come on, you wicked girl," he laughed. I turned to slide my leggings and panties off, looking back to realize he was watching, unabashedly standing there with his hard cock just begging to be touched.

"See something you like?"

"You have no fucking idea," he said. I watched his strong, inked arms flex as he moved to push the shower door open and leaned in to turn on the water. His shower was fantastic, with sprayers on each side.

He let the water grow warm as we stood there. When he saw me shiver, he pulled me into him, our naked bodies warming each other's before we stepped into the water.

Finally, we were under the sprayers, each letting our bodies get wet and warm. Edward grabbed a loofa and lathered it with soap, then held his hand out for me. He pulled me to him and began stroking my arms, pushing the soap around my stomach and back, over my breast, down between my legs.

"You're thorough," I laughed. He winked before squeezing a bit more soap onto the loofa and running it quickly over his body.

I watched as he used a soapy hand to carefully clean his dick. There was something so erotic about watching a man touch himself, and when he rinsed it clean, I couldn't stop myself. I bent to my knees and caught him off guard, my hand wrapping around the base of him as my mouth captured the tip.

"Bella, ahhh," he whispered in surprise, his hips pushing forward to give me more.

I took him in completely, using my tongue to rub the underside of him as my hand pumped at the base.

"Yes, baby," he moaned, and I heard his right hand reach out to brace the tiled wall. His left, rather than reaching to push on my head like some guys felt they should do, fell softly to my bare shoulder, his fingers stroking gently and lovingly.

I sucked him as deep as I could, pumping him faster and faster as the water beat down on us. His moans filled the steamy air and I felt my own arousal intensify.

"Bella, love, I'm going to -fuck- come," he said, and I pulled away while still pumping with my hand.

His come landed in steady streams on my chest, mixed with the hot water, dripping across my breasts. He looked down and reached to pull me up to him, his eyes lingering on my breasts that were now covered in him.

"That is so fucking sexy," he groaned. "And you-" he started, kissing me softly, "are-", kiss, "amazing."

I smiled and stepped back to the sprayer to wash my chest off and lather my hair with shampoo. Edward did the same, neither of us touching but never breaking eye contact while we washed.

When we were done, he took me by surprise by lunging toward me and lifting my feet off the ground.

"You're turn, Miss Swan," he whispered, lowering me back down before moving to his knees. He grabbed one of my legs and tossed it over his shoulder while his hand helped me keep balance on my other.

Without warning, his mouth moved straight to my core, his tongue diving into me. He licked and sucked on my clit as his hand reached up and two fingers slid into me, curling up and hitting me just so.

"Oh, god, ohhhh," I moaned, my head falling back to the cold tile.

His tongue stroked and flicked against me, his fingers pumping in and out of me careful but intense.

"Fuck, Edward," I whimpered, my legs starting to quiver in the buildup.

"That's right, baby," he mumbled against me, his tongue darting out and licking every available inch of space, moving rapidly against my swollen clit.

"Yes! Fuck yes!" I cried, my legs shaking so hard they gave way as I slumped, Edward catching me and holding me up as he stood.

He grinned at me before turning the shower off and pulling two thick towels down from the rack outside of the shower door, wrapping one around me to warm me.

"Now that we've had our appetizers, you ready to go get dinner?" He asked.

"Geez, you are so lame."

I stepped out and squeaked as he popped my ass with his towel, laughing into his room to get ready.

An hour later, we were dressed and ready when it dawned on me.

"Edward?" I asked, looking around the room again.

"Yeah, babe?" He called from the living room.

"I think someone stole your dog," I said with hesitation. Hey, just because I wouldn't miss her didn't mean he wouldn't.

"Naw, I sent a text to my mom earlier. She came by to get her. She's staying with my parents for the rest of the week," he explained.

"Oh," I replied, the relief outweighing the guilt I felt at running the little monster out of her own home.

"That's...cool," I said, stepping into the living room. He looked perfect in a dark grey sweater and black jeans.

"You're cool," he winked. "Let's go get some dinner," he smiled.

* * *

Three days later, we were in the car in the way to Edward's parents' house, and my heart was racing. I'd insisted on a trip to the grocery store the night before so I could get the ingredients to make a homemade cheesecake. He'd assured me it wasn't necessary, but I'd wanted to contribute if only a little to the family inviting me into their home on Thanksgiving.

"So, I don't want to make any presumptions," Edward started, placing a hand on my bare knee. I was wearing the dress I'd purchase with Rosalie's help before coming to Chicago. I had on low-heeled nude shoes and my long hair was down and straight.

"About?" I asked, feeling his warm hand on my knee calming my nerves if only slightly.

"About what to call-how to introduce-about what we are," he finally finished in a rush.

"Oh," I said with a heavy breath. I'd wondered that, too.

"I mean, I don't want to call you the girl I'm sleeping with. You're so much more than that to me," he explained, and his sincerity was catching me off guard.

"You are to me, too," I finally admitted.

"Okay, so I'm not just the girl you're sleeping with either. Check," he said.

I swatted at his hand but smiled.

"But I also don't want to presume that you're my...my girlfriend," he said.

"Oh. Well, that's okay. To presume, I mean," I said quietly. I had shared the most intimate parts of myself with this man and now I was nervous when it came to labels?

"So I can tell them you are? My girlfriend?"

"Yes. I'd like that," I confirmed.

"Me, too," he said, his hand trailing up my leg and capturing mine. He laced his fingers through mine and brought my hand to his lips, placing a careful kiss on my knuckles.

"What have you told them about me? I mean, who are they expecting you to bring to dinner? I know you haven't told them we are dating, but do they know that we met on the show and have been staying in touch?"

"Well, I haven't told them much. They know I am bringing a lady friend with me today and that we have been talking for a while. I am sure Jazz suspects something, but I've kept it pretty quiet. I didn't want to say anything in case the long-distance thing was too much. My mom is desperate to see me settled down and I didn't want to get her hopes up...or face her inquisition."

"So you're feeling that we may have a future? You're ready to introduce me as, you know, someone serious?"

"Yes," said Edward. "I'm not sure how it will all work out, but I know I am going to do whatever I need to to make it work."

"Me, too." I smiled as we drove the rest of the way hand in hand.

About ten minutes later, once we were out of the city a good bit, we pulled into a neighborhood where Edward approached the gate and stopped to punch in a code.

The houses were big and spaced far apart, not McMansions, but more classic, homey looking houses that had wrap around porches and long driveways. We made several turns until we reached the end of a cul de sac, where Edward turned right into the driveway of a beautiful traditional home. It looked to be three stories, with white siding and a big front porch decorated rocking chairs and a swing. It was charming, and reminded me a little of homes back in South Carolina.

Edward stepped out of the car and came around to get my door, helping me out of the car before moving to the back seat to retrieve the wine and cheesecake.

Edward was wearing a navy blue button down that matched my dress with black slacks. The weather was warmer than it had been the last few days, so his sleeves were rolled up to the elbows with his beautiful arms of color showing.

I balanced the cheesecake in both hands while Edward led me down the sidewalk and up the porch steps to the front door, his hand on my lower back as we walked.

Just before we could get to the door, it opened and a lovely woman stepped out. Her hair was pinned up neatly, and she was dressed in a long sleeved, button down shirt of sheer material that flowed around her. Her hair was dark brown with hints of red, her eyes a striking blue and her skin pale like her son's. She was exquisite, exotic and beautiful.

"Edward," she smiled as he bent to kiss her on the cheek.

"Hey, mom," he smiled.

"And you must be Bella," she smiled.

"Bella, this is my mom, Esmeralda Cullen. Mom, this is my girlfriend, Bella," he said, looking fondly from his mom to me.

"It's so good to meet you! And you got him to cut his hair!" She smiled and laughed.

"It's nice to meet you, also, Mrs. Cullen."

"Call me, Esme, please. Come in, you two. Dinner is almost ready. Alice and Jasper are already here," she smiled. I noticed she had a slight accent, but I couldn't place it.

"You remember me telling you about Jasper, another doctor at the practic and his wife who is the nurse and receptionist at the office?" Edward asked as we followed his mom to the kitchen. "They spend the holidays with us sometimes. Neither of them have much family left," he explained and I nodded.

The idea of more strangers should have made me nervous, but having more outsiders here actually calmed me a bit.

"Bella, let me take this from you, honey," Esme said, reaching for the box of cheesecake and setting it on the kitchen island.

There was food everywhere, dishes covered and wrapped in foil keeping warm. The huge kitchen had a double oven, and both were on. I could see a giant turkey in one and a ham in the other.

"She goes all out," Edward explained. "She makes all of the traditional Thanksgiving food, along with a few Dominican favorites of hers," Edward explained.

"I didn't realize your mom was Dominican. That's so cool," I said, excited to learn more about the richness of his family.

"She grew up in the Dominican Republic before her family moved to Chicago when she was ten. She and my dad met in undergrad and the rest was history," he smiled.

"She's really beautiful. I can see it now," I said.

"She is," Edward agreed. "Let's go find the others," Edward said.

We walked out of the kitchen, leaving his Mom busy over more dishes, and found Edward's dad with a young couple, presumably Jasper and Alice, in another sitting room. Football was on TV, but they were all talking and didn't seem to be watching.

When we entered, they all three stood to greet us.

"Hey, guys," Edward said, his hand gratefully never leaving mine.

"Edward, hey!" His dad called. He looked much the same as the picture Edward had shown me. His hair was light and greying at the temples, cut neat. He was also wearing a button down with the sleeves down, but I could see the edge of a tattoo peaking out.

"Bella, this is my dad. And this is Dr. Whitlock and his wife, Alice," Edward said, gesturing to each person in the room. Dr. Whitlock was tall with short blonde hair that looked like it had a tendency to curl when grown out. He was in a polo and slacks. His wife, Alice, was much shorter but very elegant, her black hair cut into a sleek bob that framed her delicate features. She had on a dress, as well, which relieved my fears of overdressing.

"It's nice to meet you all. Dr. Cullen, Dr. Whitlock, Mrs. Whitlock," I said, shaking their hands.

"Girl, call me Alice. And he's Jasper. You don't have to be formal with us," Alice laughed.

"So where are you from, Bella? Edward said you aren't from here," Jasper asked as we sat down around the living room to talk more.

"South Carolina," I replied hesitantly. I wondered if they would recognize me and if they would be angry when they realized I was the one who took Edward out of the game.

"Oh, I love the South. Esme and I used to go to Charleston every few years. It's beautiful there," Carlisle said, in that way people talk when they assume that all parts of the state you're from are one in the same.

"Charleston is lovely. I live in Columbia, so I don't get to the coast as often as I'd like," I shrugged.

"What do you do, Bella?" Alice asked.

"I'm a teacher. High school English," I said, suddenly intimidated to be in the presence of three esteemed doctors and a nurse.

"Oh? I'm sure we could have a great discussion about the classics: I actually minored in English Lit in college," Carlisle said, surprising me.

"You should see dad's library," Edward told me.

"I'd love to," I replied.

"I'll show you after dinner. For now I'm going to go do what I can to assist my lovely wife," Carlisle said, standing and leaving the room.

"Bella, I can't figure out why, but you look so familiar to me," Alice said.

"I...I'm not sure-"

"Alice, she's the one," Edward said.

"I'm the one?" I asked.

"Oh. Oh my gosh. Tell me you're the girl who beat him," Alice said excitedly. My blush gave me away. "This is hilarious," she laughed.

"You watch the show?" I asked.

"Not usually, but I definitely watched when Edward was on. I can't believe I didn't recognize you sooner. I definitely YouTubed your win about 83 times in the office," she snorted. I looked at Edward, afraid he'd be upset, but he just laughed with her.

"Yes, yes, she's the one who beat me. The reason I got the answer wrong. The one I met and fell for in a matter of days," Edward said.

"This is so sweet. Wait until Esme realizes," Alice smiled.

I excused myself and asked Edward where the restroom was. On my return, I passed an open door and glanced inside at the library. I was wowed. Carlisle did have quite the collection. The room was as beautifully decorated as the rest of the house, but much more masculine in style. There was a desk and several overstuffed arm chairs perfect for curling up with one of those books.

As I was turning to leave the room, I noticed JuJu's furry little body curled up in one of the chairs. She glanced up and sniffed at me, clearly perturbed at having her nap interrupted.

"So, staying with the grandparent's then?" I bent to scratch her head. Hey, I could be magnanimous in my victory, and I did need to win her over if Edward and I were going to make this work. She condescended to allow my attentions and then buried her nose again to resume her nap.

Back in the living room, we enjoyed getting to know each other better, when Esme called us for dinner. Edward wasn't kidding about the spread. She'd made turkey, ham, dressing, several casseroles, deviled eggs, fried plantains, rice with kidney beans and chorizo, and several other dishes I was dying to try. It looked and smelled amazing.

"Alright, loves. Let's bless the food and we can dig in," Esme said excitedly.

Dinner tasted as fantastic as it had looked.

About halfway through, when Esme asked Edward how we'd met, Alice answered for us.

"She's the one who beat him on Jeopardy!" She squealed.

"Darling," Jasper said, admonishing her.

"Oh, my goodness, you are! I thought you looked familiar. How funny! So you two met in California, then?" She asked.

"We did. We met the night before, and I had no idea she was my opponent. The little minx tricked me and caught me by surprise the next day," Edward explained.

"Edward!" I gasped, blushing furiously, fearful of how much more he'd tell.

"Oh, that's hilarious. What a smart girl you are, Bella," Esme laughed, unfazed that I ruined her son's record.

"Well, I for one, was grateful. The office was getting busy and we needed you back there. Besides, I was getting tired of seeing your mug on TV," Jasper laughed.

"Bella, no matter how you met, you've enchanted my son. And anyone that he adores this much must be a lovely girl. We are happy you could be here with us today," Carlisle said before taking a sip of his wine.

"Thank you, Dr. Cullen. And Mrs. Cullen, for inviting me into your home. Dinner was delicious," I said, pushing my plate away and leaning back, praying the zipper on my dress didn't burst.

"Who wants dessert? There's pecan pie, pumpkin pie, and Bella made a cheesecake!" Esme said.

"Cheesecake?" Carlisle said, perking up. We chuckled, each standing to clear our plates and help Esme in the kitchen.

In all, it was more than I could have hoped for the day. Edward's family and friends were wonderful. The Jeopardy! jokes lasted well into the evening. Giving Edward a hard time about it seemed to be something they did regularly, but now that they knew he was dating the girl who did it, they weren't letting it go easily. I laughed harder and ate more than I had in a while, and sitting there by the fire with this wonderful man, his arm draped around me as he kept me tucked into his side, I felt even more certain that this was my future.


	6. Chapter 6

**I am, as usual, very sorry that this took so long. I wanted to take my time and make it perfect for you all, as this is the last chapter. I hope you all enjoy the conclusion of This is Jeopardy! as much as I have enjoyed writing it.**

 **Thanks again to Nicffwhisperer and CarrieZM for the contest where this story originated. It was a blast, and I can't wait for the next one.**

 **A huge thank you for Chicsarah, my beta and wonderful friend, who cleaned this up and gave me advice, thoughts, encouragement, ideas, etc. throughout this adventure.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: The author does not own any publicly recognizable characters herein. No copyright infringement is intended. The questions and Jeopardy! game play are fictional for the story. No copyright infringement of the game questions or names is intended.**

* * *

"A little left. Okay, now down. No, no, up a little."

"Why don't you just come do it?" I asked with a groan, tossing the delicate glass ball lightly back into the box with the rest of the ornaments.

"But my feet," Rose whimpered, poking out her bottom lip dramatically.

I knew she was beat. Two of her coworkers had unexpectedly quit within the last month, and she'd been pulling some major overtime at the hospital to compensate. The overtime pay was fantastic, but the toll it was taking on her, physically and emotionally, was not. Rose was an ER nurse, and the holidays brought in the worst of traumas. She'd lost so many patients recently that when she actually was home to sleep, I often heard quiet crying from her room. I worried about her often. No one that young should see so much bad in the world.

"How many hours have you worked this week?" I asked, stepping around to move the ornament box from the couch to the coffee table so I could sit and take a break from decorating.

"As of yesterday, I clocked 60," she said with a sigh.

"It's only Wednesday!" I exclaimed.

"Yep. I've had less sleep in a week than Ambien users even get in a night. But I'm off tonight and tomorrow. Hopefully," she grimaced. She wasn't technically on call, but being called to come in wasn't necessarily out of the question.

"Go get a shower and put on something comfortable. The soup is almost done," I said, anticipating the potato soup that had been simmering in the slow cooker all day.

"Why don't you rub my feet first?" She asked, waving her tennis shoe covered feet at me.

"Why don't you find a man?" I laughed, standing up to go back into the kitchen to stir the soup.

It was already getting late, and I had papers to grade and a boyfriend to talk to before bed. I knew what time it was when I heard the familiar music start to play from the TV as Rose turned it on.

"Oh, I'll shower after this!" She said, turning to kick her shoes off and get comfortable.

"Since when do you care about Jeopardy?" I asked.

"Since this gorgeous engineer from Georgia has been kicking ass for two weeks now," She said dreamily at a stocky, brown haired man being introduced on the screen. Edward and I had been watching him pretty intently, too. He was already a qualifier for the Tournament of Champions in June, which Edward and I would also be a part of. We needed to scope out our competition.

"Personally I like the guy in the middle better. He's got that tall, dark, and handsome Idris Elba thing going on," I said, and maybe just a little I purred.

"He's not bad. But man, just look at the dimples on my guy," she sighed.

I just laughed and went to scoop up two bowls of soup. We'd be eating on the couch tonight. There was no tearing Rose away from the TV now. But after the week she'd had, she deserved to enjoy whatever simple pleasures she could. I just hoped she'd find her way to a better job before hers consumed her completely.

* * *

A week later, on what was the last official day of school before Winter Break, I was sitting at my desk anxiously tapping my pen. My last class of the day was just as anxious to get out as I was. They'd taken their end of semester exams and were now just sitting around shooting the shit with each other. The bell was 10 minutes away from ringing.

Edward was flying in tomorrow to stay for a week. He'd spend Christmas with my family, for which I was insanely nervous and excited about. It'd been quite some time since I'd brought home a boyfriend, and my parents still didn't know that I was dating my Jeopardy! opponent.

My mom would just be happy to meet him. She was still giving me shit about flying to Chicago for a boy I "hardly knew." But I knew how she worked. It wouldn't matter if he was the Zodiac Killer or Ted Cruz, himself, she'd love him after getting a good look at him.

My dad would recognize him. He had a way of coming to either love or hate Jeopardy! contestants who stayed on the show for too long. Generally it was the latter. He picked up on the idiosyncrasies of each contestant, and after about a week or so, he would remark about how tired he was of that player. I specifically remembered hearing, on more than one occasion, "I'm ready for this asshole to get taken out already."

To say that my dad was thrilled when I was able to tell him a few days after my win that I had beat "that asshole" was an understatement.

But regardless, I'd still be this nervous to bring anyone home to my dad. He wasn't a hard ass on the guys I dated and was usually pretty laid back. I think that was mostly because he could always tell long before I did that the guys I brought home were only temporary. He knew me better than I knew myself, and he knew that my romances of days past were fleeting.

My gut, however, told me that my romance with Edward was not. I knew in the depths of my mind and my heart that he was the one. I finally admitted that to myself just last week when I was buying the last of his Christmas gifts. As I purchased a cheesy "Our First Christmas" ornament for him, I realized with a shock what it would imply: that this would be the first of many, and that I desperately wanted that. I realized that I wanted every Christmas to be with Edward. I knew then, though I hadn't told him yet, that I loved him.

I'd been wanting to tell him ever since, but a declaration of that magnitude was not something I took lightly, having only felt it once before, as a teenager in the throes of first love. This, though, felt real and lasting. It felt hopeful and optimistic. I wanted to tell him face to face, not on the phone or through FaceTime. There were some things you just didn't do through technology, and for us, sex and major declarations of feelings were some of them.

The bell rang, pulling me from my thoughts as I watched my students stand faster than humans should be able to move and rush the door.

"Have a good break everyone!" I called to an already nearly empty room.

I grabbed my things, shut down my computer, and made my own way through the clearing halls to my car. I had a bit more cleaning and preparing to do before Edward's arrival tomorrow, and I wanted to get a jump on that.

When I got back to the apartment, I noticed Rosalie's car parked out front and smiled, grateful that she had some time off. Things hadn't slowed down much for her at work, and it was really starting to take its toll on her. When she was home, she was sleeping, eating, or just generally lolling. I had been trying to pick up the slack for her with cooking and cleaning, but her self-sufficient nature didn't let me get too far.

"Rose, I'm home," I called, sorting through the mail that I'd stopped by the apartment boxes to get on my way into the complex.

I didn't hear anything, and her room was quiet save for the soft sound of the radio. She was probably sleeping, since I was pretty sure she had to go in later that night.

I dropped my purse and the junk mail on the kitchen table, making my way into the kitchen for a can of Diet Coke. I walked back into the living room to plug in the Christmas tree, thinking of the pile of gifts in my closet that still had to be wrapped. I'd wrapped all of Rose and Edward's gifts, but everything for my parents was still in a stack. I may have gone overboard this year, but I'd wanted to use my winnings to spoil the people I loved.

I felt a pang in my chest at that thought. The people I loved, which now included Edward. He'd been one of the hardest to buy for. Not only because he had his own winnings and a successful career that afforded him most of his desires, but also because, despite how much we'd talked and gotten to know each other over the last several months, I'd felt a weird self-consciousness each time I bought a gift. I worried if he'd like it, if he'd use it, if it'd be lame. But I'd found what I thought were some decent gifts, things he'd appreciate. I hoped that, if nothing else, he'd just be as happy as me to spend this week with him.

It'd been almost a month since we'd been together for Thanksgiving, and I'd missed him with a fierceness that I didn't know I was capable of feeling. Hearing his voice was enough to keep me going, but it did little to stop the ache I felt at missing him.

I smiled, though, because in less than 24 hours I'd be seeing him agai-

"Ah, son of a shit!" I screamed as I opened my bedroom door, startled at the grown man laying across my bed.

"Miss me?" Edward smirked, looking up from his phone, his relaxed position telling me he'd been there a while.

"You're lucky I didn't have a gun on me or I wouldn't have missed you. Jesus Christ, are you trying to kill me?" I asked, unable to keep the smile from my face as he sat up and swung his long legs off of the bed. He had a large duffle bag and coat on the bed beside him and he was still wearing his shoes. He looked as perfect as I remembered, only better because he was clear and real in front of me.

We walked towards each other, me setting my unopened can on the dresser and him tossing his phone to the bed as he reached for me and pulled me tight into his arms. I leaned my neck back to take in his face, my pulse going into overdrive when his lips found mine.

The kiss was slow, gentle and careful. It wasn't the desperation of the last one we'd shared in LA after the shows. It wasn't the delayed gratification, the fear that if we started we'd all too soon have to end it that we shared with each kiss in Chicago. This kiss was different. It was solid, and lasting. We weren't reuniting for a short time only to part again. We were lovers who'd found their way back to each other after a brief but tough time apart. We were kissing as if we would do this a million times over, as though we would kiss this way for the rest of eternity.

When we broke apart, breathing a little more ragged, he put his forehead against mine and smiled at me.

"I'm not really into necrophilia," he whispered. I smiled, but then frowned a little.

"You're not into-huh?" I asked.

"You asked if I was trying to kill you," he shrugged.

"You can be a literal butt hole sometimes, you know that?"

"Wait, are you saying I'm too literal, or that I am literally a butthole?" He asked, backing us up so that he fell to the bed and pulled me down on top of him. We situated so that I was curled into his arm, our hands folded together over his chest.

"Originally, the former. But now that I look at you," I said, stopping to inspect his face. "Now I'm thinking the latter. You do have that signature, tight-lipped pucker that He-Who-Should-Not-Be-Named but may possibly, terrifyingly be the next POTUS has."

"Oh? You wanna take that back?" He asked, his hand pulling from mine and reaching around to latch on to my side. I squealed, my laughter growing more intense as I struggled to catch my breath.

"Stop, stop!" I yelled against his relentless tickling.

"Take it back," he said as I laughed harder. "Take it back!" He said louder, laughing along with me as his hand continued its assault.

"I going to-" I gasped, "pee on you!" I screamed.

"Okay, okay, I take it back!" I finally caved when my golden shower threat didn't work.

"That's what I thought," he smirked, grabbing my hand and folding his into it in his chest as I struggled to even my breathing.

"That was unnecessary," I growled. He just laughed, his thumb stroking the back of my hand.

"Anyway, what are you doing here now? Not that I'm not happy you're here early, but I had some big plans to get done before you got here," I said, snuggling into his chest and letting his familiar scent calm me.

"I, ah, wanted to surprise you. So I flew in early. I called Rose yesterday to find out if she'd be available to let me in," he shrugged.

"But I thought I was going to pick you up," I said, a little sad at missing another airport reunion.

"I took an Uber. I wanted us to have an extra day together," he said, and I smiled against his chest.

"Well fine, but don't judge the state of the apartment. I've managed to clean most of it, but I had a few things to get done first," I said defensively.

"Bella, the apartment looks great. I'm not here to put on a white glove and inspect for dust. I'm here to be with you, love," he said, and my heart lurched the way it always did when he called me that.

"I'm so happy you're here," I told him honestly, snuggling into him and holding him tighter as I felt his arms press me impossibly closer.

"Me, too," he said with a sigh.

"Although some things may have to wait. Those big plans I had involved some, eh hem, grooming," I said quietly.

"Aww, babe, I don't care if your legs are a little Sasquatch," he chuckled.

"Not my legs," I mumbled into his chest. "I just wanted to be sexy for you.

Edward reached and lifted my chin up so that I was looking into his eyes.

"You're perfect. Always," he said, effectively shutting me up with his lips.

* * *

A few hours later, both of us yawning after emerging from my room where we'd fallen into a very heated and passionate nap, we found Rose in the arm chair in her teal scrubs, leaning over to slide on her tennis shoes. Her usually freed blonde hair was pulled into a messy pile on top of her hair, and she looked to be wearing very little makeup.

"Hey, Rose," I said, flopping onto the couch with Edward sitting carefully beside me and propping his arm around me.

"Hey," she mumbled, and it sounded full of snot and ick.

"You okay, honey?" I asked.

"Meh," she replied. "Getting a cold," she mumbled.

"Rose, should you be going in like that? You sound terrible," I told her.

"I'm fife," she replied stuffily, right before violently sneezing into the crook of her elbow.

"Rose, I'm going to have to agree with Bella. You don't look 'fife' or fit to be working around sick patients," Edward said, leaning up to level her with his doctor's look.

"Guys, I have to go in. They don't have anyone else to cover. I took some DayQuil. I'll be good to-" another violent sneeze- "go," she finished.

"Hardheaded," I mumbled as she grabbed her bag and jacket before going to the front door.

"Have funf," she said before sniffing back a nose full and walking out of the door.

"Sexy," I laughed to Edward. But he just looked concerned that Rose was going to work, to be in a hospital full of weak immune systems with her own susceptibility to germs.

"You weren't joking," he finally said, leaning back against the couch as I reached for the remote.

"About what?" I asked, turning on the TV and noting that it was almost 7:30. I flipped to CBS as Edward continued.

"She works herself to death," he said, concern in his voice. "That's not good for her. She's going to burn out very soon."

"Trust me, I know. I've tried to tell her, but she wants to be needed. I think she's compensating for a childhood where she was treated like a red headed step child. She grew up with her six cousins and was raised by her aunt and uncle. She was rarely needed, and now she has a job where she is. She takes a lot of pride in it," I told him.

"I get that. Believe me, I do. But if she wants to continue to be needed, she needs to not work herself into an early grave," he said, his eyes thoughtful and far off.

"Hey," I said, reaching for his hand. "It makes me happy that you care so much about her. But I promise you, there's nothing you can say that will make her give up her job," I told him. He sat quietly for a minute, his face looking as though I'd just issued him a challenge.

"Let's watch this McCarty kid and scope out our competition for June. You know, he's from Augusta, Georgia. That's not too far from here. We could go find his home, really get into his brain," I suggested with a grin. Edward looked at me like I had three boobs.

"Kidding," I said with a faltering smile. "Let's just watch this, and then I'll take you to get some world famous South Carolina barbecue for dinner," I promised.

"And sweet tea?" He asked excitedly. Edward had talked about little else than the sweet tea I'd made at his apartment over Thanksgiving. I'd lost count of how many pitchers of it I'd boiled up while I was there, but it had become his new favorite drink.

"And sweet tea," I laughed. "We can rent a movie or something to bring home after. We will save the exploring for tomorrow," I promised.

"We can come back and Netflix and chill," he said, looking proud of himself.

"Isn't that code for, like, 'making the sex'?" I asked.

He laughed loudly, pulling me into him and kissing my head before focusing his attention on the TV.

* * *

After dinner and a stop at Publix for the groceries I'd planned to buy before his arrival, we went back to the apartment and opted to take a hot shower together. Rose's and my shared bathroom didn't have nearly as luxurious a shower as his apartment, so this was strictly about bathing. After washing each other's hair (I was delighted to see how his had grown and that he'd been keeping up with his haircuts again), I made him get out so I could do a bit more grooming and buffing.

I found him 30 minutes later on the couch, only the light of the TV and the Christmas tree illuminating him. He was in his usual sleep flannels and a white t-shirt, his lovely inked arms resting across the back of the couch as he held the remote and channel surfed.

He turned to look at me, his mouth going a little slack when he took in the lingerie I was wearing.

"Merry Christmas," I smiled, my nerves threatening to betray the faux confidence I was attempting to portray. I walked towards him slowly until I was in front of him, my freshly blow-dried hair warm across my back as it swayed.

"Holy fuck," he whispered, his eyes traveling up and down my body and landing in my hands as they idly played with the tied ribbon at my chest, the only thing keeping the material closed over my body. His hands reached out for my bare thighs and gently cupped behind them, pulling me forward so that I bent to sit on him, straddling him.

"Oh, like what you see?" I asked, making a point to grind down on him.

"You have no idea," he said, his right hand reaching up to twist into my hair as he pulled my face to his.

"Unwrap me," I whispered before my lips found his in a fiery kiss. He did as he was told, his other hand reach between us to find the ribbon as our mouths moved together softly. We weren't rushing this. We were savoring it, solidifying it in our minds, our hearts.

"Baby, I..." He started, his mouth hovering so close to mine our lips were touching, shaking against one another's in anticipation.

"Yes?" I asked, but he didn't finish, just pulled me to him again, his hand loosening the ribbon until the thin, lace cloth fell away, exposing my breasts to him. His hand reached to find the peak, his other hand rubbing gently up and down my bare thigh.

His mouth left my lips, but not my skin as he moved it, hot and wet across my cheek and down my neck. His tongue trailed soft circles and pulsed at my neck, sending an eruption of chills across my skin. He continued his way down as I leaned back, feeling his hands reach around to my lower back so that he could hold me as I arched farther back, exposing myself to him.

His mouth caught my hard nipple in his mouth and he pulled, causing me to whimper and moan. Without even thinking, I moved against him and we both groaned at the feeling.

His mouth worked its way between my breasts as my hands held tight to his hair, my back arched and my eyes closed tight, my body reveling in this feeling that I had so desperately missed. He reached my other breast and as carefully as the first, he circled my nipple and pulled it into his warm mouth.

"Fuck," I whimpered, his hands bracing me still before moving down to cup my bottom. His long fingers held me through the thin material until I felt him move them up and down my slit from behind.

"Edward," I said breathlessly, leaning back up to him. I reached for his shirt and he held me tight as he leaned up and off of the couch so that I could pull it up and over his head. Once it was off, he pulled me into him and pressed our bare chests together, my impossibly tight nipples finding warmth against him.

His hands eased the lingerie off my shoulders and tossed it aside so that I was only in the lace panties.

He looked confused when I backed up and stood. I could see his arousal in his pants and feel my own wetness. I carefully eased the panties down and off so that I was naked and bare before him, letting him drink me in as I stared at him.

"You're exquisite, my love," he said in the dark, the muted TV and the Christmas tree glowing in the sparkle of his eyes.

He stood to meet me, and I used my hands to pull his pants down and off so that together we stood naked.

"Edward," I whispered, his firm, colorful arms reaching to hug me into him. I felt every part of him against me, his warmth and softness. His firmness. He felt like my home.

"Yes, angel?" He asked.

"Make love to me," I told him, my voice shaking as I did.

Wordlessly, he laid me down on the couch and carefully laid down over me, our breathing tangled in each others' as his hands roamed and touched, dipped and pressed where I needed him most, eliciting moans and pleas from me.

Softly, he guided my legs apart so that he could sink between them, and as our eyes met each other's, he joined himself to me in a way that only he could, in a way that always felt like the most right thing I'd ever do in my life.

We didn't speak as he slowly pulled out and pushed into me. We found our rhythm and were guided only by our breathing and the small, soft moans we were making.

His hand went between us so that he could rub me, causing an involuntary quiver in my legs as it all became nearly too much.

We moved together as the sensations built, and just as we both crashed into bliss, he put his mouth on mine, catching my near scream and taking it for himself.

When we both came down and he eased out of me, he used his other hand to reach up and brush a long strand of hair from my face.

This had been so different than before. It wasn't the angry fucking of two strangers as it had been at first, or the getting-to-know you sex of our last visit. This was love-making between two people who had quickly and entirely given themselves over to the other. This was the passion shared only by two people deeply in the trenches of love.

I wanted desperately to tell him in that moment, as he held me against him and our breathing slowed. But I was scared, the hammering in my heart holding me back just yet. I knew I couldn't let him leave for Chicago again without him knowing, but it didn't feel like quite the right time. I would wait, bide my time, and tell him when the moment struck that I could no longer hold it in. I could tell it would be soon.

* * *

Edward and I spent the week exploring. He let me show him where I went to college, the football stadium where I spent most of my Saturday's in the fall, the bars I used to frequent with Rose and our friends before life and responsibility took over. I showed him the school where I taught, the places where I shopped, the small museum, and the capital building. I realized quickly that Columbia had a lot less to offer than Chicago, but he took it all in stride.

He seemed happy to see the place I had called home for all of my life, and he seemed happy just to be with me.

We did some last minute Christmas shopping, as well. His parents and even Alice and Jasper had sent Christmas gifts for me. They arrived on Edward's third day, in a large box of gifts that he'd shipped from home. He explained that it had been cheaper to do this than to check another bag of gifts.

I explained that he'd simply bought too much, but he was quick to tell me that some were for Rose and my parents, too. I felt like a shit then, because I hadn't gotten a thing for his parents or friends. And so began the busy, stressful trek through the Columbiana Mall and surrounding boutiques. In the end, I settled on a Pandora bracelet for his mom with birthstone beads to represent her, Edward, and Carlisle.

I found a Kate Spade purse similar to the one I'd bought Rose and decided on that for Alice. I had to admit, actually having money for gifts this year was a fun change.

I had to make a last minute stop for my dad's gift, a personalized Yeti cooler for his fishing trips to Lake Murray. He'd been eyeing them for a while, so I knew he'd be pleased. Sticking with that theme, I got Yeti cups with Chicago Cubs stickers on them for Edward's dad and Jasper. Buying gifts for people I hardly knew felt weirdly impersonal, but Edward promised me they would like them.

By Christmas Eve, we were packed and ready to spend the night with my parents. Rose, of course, had to work that night but would be off the next day to celebrate at the apartment with us. At my mom's insistence, Edward and I were spending the night there so that we could all wake up and spend Christmas morning together.

I was nervous, but not nearly as nervous as Edward seemed to be. For all of his reassurances when he was taking me to meet his parents, I wasn't doing a very good job of returning the favor to him.

"Your mom's in real estate?" He asked, even though I know he knew this.

"Yes. She works for Carolina Residential and Business."

"She...she does?" He asked hesitantly.

"Yes..." I trailed, confused by his reaction.

"Cool. That's cool," he said, looking to his lap at his phone. I just shook my head. If that made him nervous then he was really going to be scared of dad.

"And your dad is the police chief, right? So, like, guns and stuff?" Edward asked.

"Yes, but not ones that he'd be willing to use on you," I said as I drove us through the unusually empty streets of Columbia. It was later in the evening and we'd packed the car with our luggage and gifts. My parents only lived about 30 minutes away, but I didn't want to have to make any return trips to the apartment.

Edward breathed a sigh of relief at my answer.

"He has his own private collection for that," I smirked, which was met with a glare.

"It's fine. You're going to be fine. Mom will just be glad you aren't a serial killer. Dad might hold a grudge. He thought you were kind of pompous and full of yourself on the show," I said honestly. Best not to delude him.

Edward groaned at that.

"But, to be fair, I thought the same thing. And now I lo-lucked out and got to know you," I said quickly, covering my near slip.

Edward didn't seem to notice. Thankfully we arrived at the turn-in for my parent's neighborhood shortly thereafter. We got to their house around 9, my mom already opening the front door to greet us as we pulled up.

"Bella!"

"Mom!" I called. "Max!" I called louder as my parents' giant golden retriever came meandering out of the door and picked up speed when he saw me. I squatted to my knees to scratch his ears as he put his paws up on my shoulders to hug me and lick my face.

"I thought you hated dogs," Edward accused lowly.

"I love dogs, Edward. Just not weird ones like yours," I laughed.

"She's not weird," he grumbled.

"I'm kidding. You know I told you that Juliette and I broke some ground last time. I think by my next visit, she may even let my hold your hand," I joked dramatically.

"Bella, come inside. Charlie!" Mom called behind her and back into the house. "Come help the kids with their things!"

Mom looked comfortable in her jeans and sweater, a difference from her usual business suit. Dad stepped out behind her, his long sleeved polo shirt tucked into khakis, his uniform when he wasn't in uniform.

"Hey, Bells," he said as Max marched back up the steps of the porch to them.

"Hey, Dad," I said, walking up and giving them both hugs.

"Mom, Dad, this is my boyfriend, Edward Cullen. Edward, this is my dad, Charlie, and my mom, Renee."

"Mr. and Mrs. Swan, it's nice to meet you both," he said respectfully, and as usual, he looked calm and collected.

"Edward Cullen. Why do I know that name?" Dad asked, and Edward's face paled.

"Do-DO-do-do..." I started humming the Jeopardy! theme and Edward turned sharply to glare at me.

"Well I'll be damned. You're the kid she beat. You see that, Renee? This is the guy who was about to set a Jeopardy! record, and our Bella here beat him," dad said, tickling himself with laughter.

"Wow, well how funny is that," mom said. She'd seen my episodes, obviously, but hadn't seen much before or after and didn't know Edward from any other contestant.

"A real hoot. Hey, can we get this stuff in? It's a little cold out here," I asked. Edward had his bag and mine, but the gifts were still in the car.

"Charlie, go get the rest of their things," mom said.

I was about to let them when I heard Edward mumble something.

"What?" I asked.

"Cool-er," he enunciated.

"Oh yeah. OH! Dad, wait, we can get that. You go inside," I said, shooing my parents back in. Edward set our bags on the porch and went to retrieve the rest.

"Don't want you guys to see your presents early," I explained when my parents looked at me peculiarly. I was leaving dad's in the trunk, since it wasn't wrapped, and would slip out after they went to bed to get it and put it under the tree.

Once we were inside, our bags settled in my own room and the gifts we'd brought under the tree, mom offered us some dinner.

"I didn't make much since we will have a big dinner tomorrow, but there's some leftover cold cuts for sandwiches and some pie in there. Help yourselves," she said with a yawn.

"You guys can go on the bed if you want. We are just going to eat and follow shortly," I smiled.

My parents went upstairs and Edward and I made sandwiches, grabbed some water and chips, and walked quietly up to my room. I was grateful that my bed had been upgraded to a queen sized bed when I was in college, because the old twin would have been miserable for the two of us.

"Your parents seemed nice," Edward said around a bite of food.

"I think they like you. Dad really liked you. And mom whispered to me that you were cute. Good job, you passed," I said.

"Did you think I wouldn't?" Edward asked, taking a sip of water.

"No no, it's not that. I just wasn't sure how they'd take the news of you being the Jeopardy! guy. I'm telling you, you did not have Charlie Swan under the same spell as the rest of America," I laughed.

"Well regardless, I'm glad I won him over," Edward said.

"If anything, I think dad was relieved. He realized who you were and probably appreciated the fact that you'd want to be with me after I ended your record breaking streak. I think he admired that you didn't find me intimidating or hold a grudge," I said.

"Oh, on the contrary," he said, grabbing my empty plate and placing it on his, setting it and our water and chips on the nightstand. "I find you incredibly intimidating, Ms. Swan. It's what I admire so much about you. Your intellect, your strong will, your tenacity. You're an incredible woman, and one of which I am not worthy. But I plan to spend my life trying to be," he said, folding me into his arms and laying us back against the pillows.

"Edward," I whispered. "You're amazing," I said, dull in comparison to his words but true just the same.

We spent the next morning opening gifts with my parents and enjoying Christmas lunch. My dad's sister, my only relative close by, came to eat with us and spent more time giving Max bites of prime rib than she actually spent eating it.

She gave us our gifts-my dad got his usual t-shirt with a corny fishing joke on it, my mom got a candle and some cheap perfume, Edward got a back massager that looked questionably like a sex toy, and I got a painting of dolphins that already had what looked to be a Coke stain on it. My aunt was notorious for giving bad and weird gifts, picking them up through the year at yard sales, discount stores, and flea markets. She loved to shop and buy, but had no sense of what people liked. I was big into dolphins as a kid. She still thought I loved them, and every year I got stuff I would never use.

But she put thought behind it and that was what mattered.

Around five in the afternoon, we packed up to head home. Mom fixed a huge plate for Rose and handed me a few gift bags to take to her. We said our good-byes, and I was grateful that the trip had been short.

I loved my parents, but they could be overbearing. Mom and dad had already bickered twice that day, and I was exhausted from the less than 24 hours in their presence.

We got back just after six to find Rose watching "A Christmas Story" in a sweater, jeans, and thick socks.

"Hey, babe. Merry Christmas," I said to her as we walked in. I leaned to kiss her head and put my arms around her.

"I'm not at the hospital and my cold is almost gone. Merry, indeed," she smiled, taking a sip of her coffee that smelled like hazelnut.

"I have you a plate of food. Want to eat first or open presents first?" I asked.

"Presents. Definitely," she smiled, jumping up and setting her coffee on the table.

Edward took our bags to my room as Rose and I sorted all of the presents under the tree into a pile. I had several for her, and I noticed she had some from Edward and even one from Edward's mom and dad.

"Wow, they really do like giving gifts, huh?" I asked Edward when he returned. He sat on the couch in front of his stack on the table while Rose and I each took a spot on the floor with our own piles.

"I told them about her, what I knew from what you'd told me. Mom said any friend of Bella's deserved to be spoiled, too," Edward smiled.

"Damn, Romeo. You got any siblings? A brother? Hell, even a sister? I won't be picky," she laughed.

We took turns opening gifts. Rose loved the purse and matching wallet, and she adored the golden stethoscope I'd found online for her. Edward had given her an antique edition of Grey's Anatomy, and they had fun nerding out over it. She'd given him a Cubs jersey, which he loved.

Edward's parents had gotten Rose and me matching necklaces with pearl charms on them, and Alice and Jasper had gotten me a Lily Pulitzer duffle bag with a note to use for "all of my travels to visit them in Chicago."

Edward claimed to love everything I gave him, but his eyes sparkled at the hand-painted picture of Juliette that I'd given him. A friend of mine on Facebook was an incredible artist and had used a picture of JuJu that I had to recreate it in painting. I caught Edward looking over at it throughout the evening.

Rose gave me the perfume I'd been eyeing for a while, as well as a gift card to Ulta. I saved her biggest gift for last and waited excitedly as she opened it, looking at Edward. He knew what it was, too.

She opened the box to pull out two airline tickets.

"Bella, these are tickets for...LOS ANGELES? Are you serious?" She squealed, lunging over to hug me.

"Want to go?" I laughed.

"Are you kidding?" She said, smiling ear to ear.

"It's not until June, but I heard from the Jeopardy! studio a few weeks ago about the Tournament of Champions. Since this is a bigger deal, they put us up in a fancy hotel suite, all expenses paid, and invite us to bring a guest. I can't imagine who else I'd want there more than you," I smiled.

"Oh, I can think of someone. But since he will already be there, I'm all too happy to oblige," she laughed.

"There's one more thing," I told her.

"Bella, this is already too much!" She said, but rummaged through the paper in the box for the last item.

"Relax, I didn't even buy the tickets," I said.

She pulled out the golden envelope and opened it to reveal a gift card to Cache, the dress store in the mall.

"Are you taking me to prom?"

"Ha ha. No, there is a Champions dinner when we get there for the champs and their guests. I wanted you to be able to find a nice gown to wear, especially since you will be meeting the other champions. Which means your dark-haired, dimpled cutie will be in attendance," I said with a grin.

She squealed again and we all fell into fits of laughter. My heart was content right here with my two best friends, surrounded in piles of fancy gifts.

An hour later, Rose had gone to her room to surf the Cache website for dresses while Edward and I laughed at the movie on TV.

"You'll shoot yer eye out, kid," I said, getting a smile from Edward. I was curled up in his arms, warm and happy.

"Bella?" He said quietly.

"Hmm?" I asked.

"I have one more present for you," he told me, and I could hear the nerves in his voice.

"Edward, really? You already got me earrings, the new bedding set I picked out, a Tiffany lamp, the complete Outlander series, AND the box sets of Gilmore Girls and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Unless you got me Spike, himself, then I can't imagine what else I need," I said.

He looked a little confused at the last part.

"Buffy reference. Never mind. But really," I said. We had each gone overboard on gifts, but now I was a little annoyed. I didn't want anything else.

"You'll like it. I promise. I hope. Come on," he said.

"We have to go somewhere? But everything is closed?" I said.

"Just put your shoes and coat on, and come on," he said, stepping into his loafers and pulling on his coat.

He grabbed my keys from the hook by the door and led me outside to my car.

"I'm driving," he said.

"But do you even know where you're going?" I asked. He just gave me a grin and got in the car.

We drove for about five minutes into town. The buildings and street lights were on, but only a few cars on the road. The usually busy town was holiday sleepy, with only the Walgreens on the corner opened today.

Edward pulled into a space in front of a tall building situated between two shops, a Carolina Residential and Business Realtor sign in the window.

I stepped out of the car and walked around to the sidewalk to meet him. We stood silently in front of the empty building, the street lamp with its Christmas snowflake light on it glowing over us.

Edward handed me a small box that wasn't wrapped.

"Open it," he said.

I pulled the top off to find an old-fashioned brass key nestled inside.

"Um," I said, not sure what I was supposed to do with it. "Does this open something?" I asked stupidly.

"Metaphorically," he smiled.

"You got me a...metaphor?"

He nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay, John Green, still confused," I said.

He sighed and walked me to the door of the empty shop front, reaching into his pocket for his keys. He found the one he wanted and used it to unlock the door.

He lead me in and flipped on the light. The building had light wood floors and a front reception desk with a long hallway that led back.

"I'm confused," I said.

"So, the reason I was here a day early, the reason there have been a few days over the last month where I have been 'too busy' to talk," he said with air quotes, "was because I was traveling. Here. To look at real estate," he finished.

"Real estate? For...offices?"

"Yes. For a new office. For the South Carolina branch of Cullen Family Medicine," he finished.

I turned to him, my jaw likely on the floor at this point. Sensing my shock and taking it negatively, he spoke again quickly.

"It's only under contract. I've seen other options but this was my favorite one. My dad even flew down with me last time to see it and he thought it was great, too. I came down a day early to sign the contract before my realtor left for the holidays. But the contract can be voided. I can back out anytime if...if you...if this isn't what we want. I don't have to move here if you're not ready for that. I know it seems soon, but-"

I cut him off when I launched myself at him, letting him catch me as I jumped into his arms and placed my lips firmly against his.

"I love you," I told him breathlessly, unable any longer to hold it in, unable to keep myself from telling this incredible man how I felt.

"Yeah?" He asked, his slight smile making his eyes sparkle in the bright office light.

"Yeah," I whispered.

"Good. Because I love you, too. With all of my heart," he said, spinning me around and kissing me again and again.

When he finally set me down, not letting me go but putting me on my feet, I hugged him to me tighter.

"I'm going to need a full time nurse. Someone who is experienced and willing to work long days and have nights and weekends off. Do you have anyone in mind?" He asked.

"I think I have the perfect candidate. She's probably busy planning her meeting with her own Jeopardy! soulmate, but we can ask her when we get home," I said.

"So, is that a yes? You're good with me buying the place, then? With me, you know, moving here?" He asked.

"What is, 'Welcome to South Carolina', Alex?" I said, holding my best friend, my soulmate in my arms.

He was my life, my heart, and now, my home.

* * *

 **That's the end, guys. Please let me know what you thought.**

 **Thank you all for the favorites, reviews, views, etc. Love to all.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Merry Christmas Eve! As my gift to you all, I decided an epilogue was needed before this journey was completely finished. This is the original (very cheesy) ending I had planned for these two. I hope you enjoy it.**

 **Keep in mind, 90% of this is just my imagining of how this would go.**

 **Man bun dedicated to my amazing bata and friend, Chicsarah.**

 **Disclaimer: The author does not own any publicly recognizable characters herein. No copyright infringement is intended. The questions and Jeopardy! game play are fictional for the story. No copyright infringement of the game questions or names is intended.**

* * *

"How do I look?" Rose asked me for about the 42nd time as she fluffed her hair and smoothed her dress.

"Like you're going to bang the third place champion tonight," I said, turning back to the mirror to apply my lipstick and straighten out my boobs.

"What if he is the first place champion?" Rose asked with a laugh, reaching for her small clutch bag to slide her ID, credit card, and phone inside. She always insisted on bringing her insurance cards, too, because "you never know if the night will end in the ER."

"He's going up against Edward and me; he doesn't stand a chance," I laughed, though not altogether confidently. Starting tomorrow, I'd be facing off with the absolute best players this year of Jeopardy! had to offer, including my boyfriend/second winningest Jeopardy! champion of all time.

"Yeah, yeah, smarty pants," she sighed. She looked back in the mirror again, and it was unnerving that a woman as beautiful as Rose wasn't dripping with confidence. Truth be told, she'd always been incredibly insecure about her looks. Despite the smooth hair that she had cut and colored at a high-end salon in preparation for the trip, or a face that was flawless without makeup but looked angelic with just a touch added, or a body that she cared for with long work hours and exercise, Rosalie was not a vain woman. She'd had a lot of bad luck in dating, with men who objectified her or were completely intimidated by the total package. She was beauty, brains, kindness and love. Men couldn't often keep up with her, so instead they belittled her to make themselves feel better.

"Rose, seriously. You look amazing," I told her. She was wearing a deep red evening gown, made completely of satin that curved in and out of the swells of her body like a glove. It had small sleeves that wrapped around the tops of her arms in an off-the-shoulder way. The neck was a scoop neck of layered fabric that showed just a touch of her full bust in a modest but impossibly sexy way. If Emmett, her "celebrity" crush, didn't want her tonight, every other man in the room would.

I'd opted for a navy blue gown, the top made completely of lace with sleeves that went down past my elbows. The skirt was chiffon material that flowed around my legs. I was wearing a simple strand of pearls and pearl earrings, while Rose wore a heavy, faux diamond pendant around her neck. While my hair was up in a loose bun of curls, hers hung heavy, full, and smooth on her tanned shoulders.

"You do, too, B. Let's go find our men," she laughed with a wink.

All of the champions were staying in the hotel together with their guests, paid for by Jeopardy! and CBS. That meant that the Champion's Dinner was hosted in a ball room in the hotel, so we only needed to go downstairs. It wasn't the same hotel I'd stayed in before. It was bigger and the rooms a touch more elegant. Both Rose and my eyes had lit up at the size of our room with a connecting living room area, a huge bathroom, and a balcony overlooking Los Angeles.

When we got downstairs, two suited guards stood at the door taking names before letting anyone in.

"Names, please, Miss?" One of the guards asked.

"Isabella Swan and Rosalie Hale," I responded, and saw Rose working to suppress a big grin as the doors were opened for us.

Inside, it looked like a wedding reception for one of Hollywood's most exclusive. The room was exquisite with tapestry lined walls, huge, gleaming chandeliers, ornate flower arrangements, and tables and tables of food and drinks. Immediately a besuited server appeared before us with a tray of champagne flutes. We graciously accepted them and moved further in to the tables, looking at the place markers to find our seats.

Music from a string quartet played from the other side of the room, the sound of talking and laughter mixed in. I felt lovely and graceful, and it abated a little of the nerves I was feeling for the start of the games tomorrow.

I'd yet to see Edward. We'd arrived only hours ago and immediately began getting ready for the banquet.

Edward's dad had flown into South Carolina the day before to run Edward's practice for him, after spending the last several months with Edward for them both to get certified to practice medicine in South Carolina. The amount of time, effort, and money that had gone into getting the second Cullen Family Medicine up and running made my head spin, but Edward never wavered in his desire to see it through and to spend his life with me. It took long days and even longer nights, a lot of headaches, and a lot of frequent flyer miles used between Chicago and Columbia, but exactly one month ago, Edward had cut the ribbon on his new practice, having hired Rosalie as his office nurse. He matched her pay from the hospital, but with nine to five hours, she was much happier and less stressed. To say I was proud of them both had been an understatement.

Rose tugged my arm towards a table to the right where she'd found our names. To her delight, we were seated with Emmett McCarty. She thought it was coincidence, but I knew that Edward had put in specific request. Neither Edward nor Emmett had brought a guest, so it worked out that the two of them, Rose and I, and two other contestants and their guests were seated together.

I recognized the names of the other two contestants, Garrett Sanders and Margaret Barnes. They'd both played respectable games, and I was looking forward to meeting them and others tonight.

Rose was practically vibrating in her seat beside me, and it looked like it was taking all of her control to not stand up and wave both arms to Emmett, who I saw entering the room. He looked as shy and timid as he seemed on TV. He was tall and had the broad shoulders of someone who was naturally built large but also worked on his physique. His dark, curly hair was cut short around his head, and the wooden framed glasses perched on his nose made him look like he was one disaster away from jumping into a phone booth and stepping out in a cape. It was odd to see such a large, seemingly intimidating man appear so shy and nervous.

"Relax, Rose. He will find his seat eventually," I whispered.

She sighed and reached for her glass of nearly empty champagne. I hadn't seen her this excited in a while. It made me all the more nervous that he'd somehow let her down.

"Are you from South Carolina? Because you've got me feeling something way down south," I heard in my ear. I couldn't hold in the loud, obnoxious burst of laughter as I turned to look up at Edward. He looked incredible in a perfectly tailored Armani suit, a sleek tie peaking out of the buttoned jacket.

"Not your best work, Nutcracker," I told him as he pulled out the chair beside me.

"Nutcracker?" He asked, setting his own champagne flute down by the multitude of China and glittering silverware.

"Because you look like a ballerina," I said, unable to resist a jab at that silly bun on his head.

A few months ago, Jasper had bet Edward that he wouldn't grow his hair out for the show and wear it in a bun. Edward, never one to back down from a challenge, was all too happy to agree. There was, apparently, only one thing he could do to win the bet overall, meaning he could shave it off again, but he wouldn't tell me what or when he'd be doing it. I wasn't sure what he and Jasper were up to, but I knew Jasper wasn't making a fan of Esme by getting Edward to grow out that silly hair.

I had to say, though, that after giving it a chance, it was growing on me. He looked sexy as hell a few weeks ago when we'd gone to the beach and he'd stood up, his inked muscles shining with ocean water, wisps of his hair pulling away from the rubber band and blowing in the breeze.

My favorite, though, was when it was down and draped around him as he kissed his way across and down my naked body. The feel of the soft ends of his hair as they glided across me made our lovemaking all the more sensual.

He just laughed and draped his arm around me chair, his hand softly stroking my lace covered arm.

The three of us grew quiet, taking in the sights and sounds around us. As the other two contestants and their spouses joined us soon after, we made small talk, but I noticed Rose still looking around the room as Emmett stopped to talk to a few people. He looked uncomfortable and ready to get to his table. Poor guy.

Finally, he approached us and stopped to introduce himself to Edward first. I couldn't be offended. Edward really was a celebrity around here, and everyone wanted to meet him. I'd heard that a few special guests, including a few of the winners from the Celebrity tournament (I was keeping my fingers crossed for an Anderson Cooper appearance), as well as Ken Jennings, himself, would be here.

Emmett shook my hand, and then the other two contestants' hands, as he rounded the table to take his spot beside Rosalie.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe I recognize you," he said timidly as he sat down and faced Rose. "Are you a contestant?" He asked politely, reaching to shake her hand.

"No, I'm hers. I'm with her. She's my guest. I mean,-"

"She's my guest. And my best friend," I interrupted the awkward rambling.

"Ah, nice to meet you. I'm-"

"Emmett McCarty!" Rose all but screamed at him, still not letting go of his hand.

"Yeah..." he said, clearly uncomfortable at this gorgeous girl who was off her rocker. I could feel Edward chuckling beside me.

"And she's Rose," I said.

"Rosalie Eustace Hale," she told him as he finally pulled his hand free.

"Eustace?" Edward laughed.

"You signed her employment paperwork," I whispered. "You know her full name."

"Yes, but I don't know why she'd _tell_ anyone her full name," he chortled.

"It's a pleasure for us both to meet you, Emmett," I said, leaning in to Rose to try and get her to get a grip. "We're big fans of yours," I told him, before leaning in to Rose to whisper in her ear.

"Calm down, psycho," I told her, feeling her stiffen before adjusting her posture and sitting in her chair more like a human and less like an anxious chihuahua.

"Your fans of mine? Are you kidding? Everyone here is talking about you two," Emmett said, nodding to Edward and me. "You're the prom king and queen of Jeopardy!" He smiled.

"Oh, please don't tell him that. He doesn't need that head to get any bigger than it already is," I laughed.

"You'd know how big my head is," Edward whispered into my ear. I responded with a sharp jab of my elbow to his gut.

"Wait, are you two-together?" Emmett asked.

"Yes," I answered simply. It wasn't common knowledge but it wasn't something we were hiding. As a first of our kind, there were no rules against contestants dating. It wasn't going to make either of us less competitive in the games.

"Huh," Emmett said. "Huh," he said again, absorbing this new information that he undoubtably thought he could either use to his advantage or needed to worry about.

"But we play our own games. When we get on stage, we are competing against each other. We are not a single entity," I explained to the table, perhaps unnecessarily.

"Good to know," Emmett said.

We quieted down as the lights dimmed down and a spotlight hit the stage.

"Ladies and gentleman, please welcome tonight's host, Alex Trebek!"

The evening flowed quickly, as we ate, mingled, and rubbed shoulders.

I did get to meet Anderson, that grey-haired God, and Ken. He was kind of stuck up but not overall unfriendly. Edward and I talked to Alex, who found it hilarious that the two of us were together.

"I knew there was tension between you two on the stage, but I didn't realize it was sexual," he laughed.

Barf.

After that, we made our way back to the table, which was empty save for Emmett and Rosalie. Both were sitting quietly, facing the table. Emmett had his hands in his lap, looking nervous. Rose had her arms crossed over her chest, looking frustrated.

"Hey Rose. We have an early morning. Ready to go up to the room?" I asked. She glanced at Emmett, a bit of longing in her eyes, then sighed loudly and stood up, grabbing her clutch.

"See you tomorrow, Emmett," I said kindly, not sure what had the table so salty.

"Have-have a good night," he responded, but his eyes were only on Rose.

"I don't understand," Rose said with a frustrated groan when we stepped into the elevator. "I mean, we sat there for an hour. I didn't know anyone and he didn't seem to care to meet anyone, so it was the perfect chance for us to talk. But nothing. Radio silence," she said, leaning back on the elevator wall.

"He was probably just nervous. You could have initiated the conversation," I said.

"I tried! After I stopped being such a spazz, I asked him about himself. You know what I learned? Everything I already knew from watching the show. He's just so shy. And quiet. And fucking gorgeous," she said.

"Well, we have the Champion's breakfast tomorrow, and hopefully we will all be here for the next few days, so there will be more chances," I encouraged, though truthfully I wasn't very hopeful.

"I guess. Whatever, I'm going to bed. Let me have the room key. You can go up to Swan Lake's room to bone," she said, reaching her hand for the key.

"Oh, come on," Edward said, having been quiet until now.

"No, I'm coming with you," I laughed. "Swan Lake can bone his hand tonight. I'm exhausted and just need sleep," I said, turning to Edward.

"Yeah yeah. Go rest so I can annihilate you tomorrow," Edward said, leaning down to place a kiss on my lips. It was soft and quick, but also perfect. I yelped at the small smack he placed on my butt when I turned to step out of the elevator.

"Sleep tight, love," he called. I turned and blew him a kiss before following Rose down the hall.

* * *

The next morning, Rose and I were fixing plates at the breakfast bar when we heard a timid "good morning."

Emmett was standing across the buffet line in a black button down and grey slacks.

"Good morning," I said.

"Morning," Rose mumbled.

"Isabella, are you ready for the game today?" He asked.

I nodded, happy that I'd be facing two other opponents today and not Emmett or Edward.

For the Tournament, they'd film five games today, and then, depending on who won and advanced, five more tomorrow, for two weeks of game play to be aired on TV. The games were decided by a draw of names, and I'd been picked for the first one. Today would be the quarterfinals. The five winners and the top four highest scoring losers from today would advance to the semifinals. Tomorrow, the nine semifinalists would compete and leave three finalists. The last two games would be the finals, and the highest two-day score from the finals would determine a winner.

I had work to do today to make it to tomorrow, and I hoped that Edward and Emmett would, too.

"I am. You?" I asked him.

"I think so. I stayed up most of the night studying. I was so nervous last night. That's why I wasn't very social. I'm sorry for not being very social. It's because I was so nervous," he said, getting louder and more pointed as he repeated himself. He was talking to me, but he was definitely addressing Rosalie.

"I understand. Emmett, why don't you sit with us this morning," I said, nodding to an empty table. Rose didn't say anything but made a point to sit beside Emmett again, even if she wasn't planning to actually talk to him.

Edward found us and dropped a kiss on my head before going to make his own plate. He was wearing a white button down shirt with navy slacks, his hair back in its bun. I'd finally gotten over my shock that he was going to go on national TV with it, but I was sure his mother would never let him live it down.

After breakfast, we were all ushered outside to several cars waiting to take the contestants and their guests to the studio. Guests would be placed in the audience to watch, while the 15 champions would be escorted to await their games. Since I was first, I had little time to spend in my room. I was grateful that I'd only be playing one game today, which meant I didn't have to pack extra clothes.

"Good luck, baby," Edward said. He was in game five, so he'd be in his room all day. I was looking forward to going back there and spending some time with him while he waited.

"Thanks. I love you," I told him as he pulled me in for a kiss.

"I love you more," he whispered on my lips.

"Gross. Get a room," Rose heckled as she walked past with the other guests.

"Rosalie?" I heard, and Edward and I turned to see Emmett motioning for her to come over to him. She walked over and they began talking quietly.

"What's that about?" Edward asked, his arm still wrapped around me.

"No idea," I said. They'd talked more this morning at breakfast, but I'd been too wrapped up in food and Edward to pay much attention. I'd just been happy to see them at least speaking to each other.

Rose turned and wave to me before walking on with the other guests to be lead to the audience area. I waved back, planning to ask her about that little exchange later.

"I need to go to my dressing room and try to focus. I'll see you soon?" I said to Edward.

"K, knock em dead so we can face off in the finals," he said.

"You seem confident that you'll make it that far," I laughed.

"I got a lot riding on it, baby," he smirked, before turning and walking quickly away towards his dressing room.

I made my way to my dressing room. It was much the same as the room I'd had when playing several months before, equipped with more luxuries and food this time, though. Show time was in less than an hour, so I pulled out the new stack of note cards I'd made to prepare and got lost in studying in them.

Some time later, a sharp knock on the door let me know it was show time. I took a deep, steadying breath, hoping beyond hope that this would only be the first of four games for me.

* * *

The door wasn't locked, and I pushed it open without a knock. Edward was lounging on the couch, flipping through a stack of papers with his own study notes on them.

"I won, I won, I won!" I screamed, running into the room and jumping onto Edward. He let out a soft groan, dropping his papers to the floor and catching me.

"Of course you did, angel," he smiled. He emphasized each of his next words with a kiss. "And I am so," kiss, "proud," kiss, "of you," kiss.

The last kiss was quickly deepened into more, and I melted into his hard chest as his hands worked their way up and into my hair. His tongue searched mine, and I felt him grow hard underneath me as I ground myself into him.

"Fuck," he hissed as my hands roamed his chest, reaching for the buttons of his shirt.

"One more for old times sake?" I whispered.

He answered by reaching for the bottom of my dress and pulling it up and over my head, leaving my in only my bra and panties.

His mouth found my neck, then my collar bone as his tongue carved a path across my skin. I moaned my pleasure into his ear before my tongue traced the shell of it, causing a violent shiver to shake his body and mine, as we were joined as tightly as possible.

Wordlessly, Edward stood, his hands holding my bare thighs up as he held me in the air. I reached behind me and pulled my bra off, letting my breasts fall free and tighten in the cool air of the room.

Edward laid me down on my back and gently tugged my panties off, leaving me naked before him. His eyes looked deeply into mine, and where months before we were merely fucking in these rooms, where we met and started a rocky foundation, we were now making love, two people in a solid relationship. I knew before, of course, but it was reaffirmed for me in that moment that we were everlasting. He was it for me. He was and always would be my soulmate.

Edward removed the rest of his clothes and eased onto his knees on the couch, spreading me so that he was nestled between me.

"Are you ready, my love?" He asked gently.

"Always," I told him, feeling him settle down and slowly, so slowly, sheath himself inside of me.

We both moaned when our bodies met, and I felt full and complete as I always did when we connected.

Edward pushed in and out of me slowly, never breaking eye contact as his thumb found and began to rub me just so.

It took what seemed only moments before we were crashing together, legs shaking and chests heaving. He spilled into me as I pulsed around him, and I cried out at the miraculous sensation.

"Fuck," he moaned, as he often did when he came.

We smiled then, and, checking the time, snuggled together when we saw that still had two hours before his show.

"Crap, Rose! I forgot about Rose!" I said, realizing the time meant my show was long over and she'd be leaving the audience area to find me. I pushed Edward to get off of me so I could stand.

"Crap crap crap," I said, standing and running to the bathroom to clean up.

"Bella," Edward called.

"I'm such a shit friend," I said, going back to the room to get dressed.

"Bella," he said again.

"She's going to be so mad at me," I whined.

"Bella!" Edward said, snapping me to attention.

"What?" I asked, breathless from my mad dash around the room.

"Rose was planning to stay in the audience for Emmett's show. He was in the second taping. They are probably just letting out now," Edward said.

"Oh. Oh, yeah," I said, remembering that she'd mentioned after breakfast that she was going to stay in the audience for the first two tapings.

"Now put your bra on straight. Your shirt is thin. Don't want you distracting the competition even more than you already have," he said, looking pointedly at me and then to the notes and his discarded clothing in the floor.

"Oh, like you minded," I laughed.

We kissed one more time before parting ways. I walked out just in time to see Rose coming through the studio doors.

"Good game, B. Emmett won, too. Looks like we just need ballerina Barbie in there to win his round and you three are one step closer to facing off," she said.

"That's great!" I said nervously, trying not to let on to what I'd just been doing.

She looked at my hair, then sniffed me.

"Ew, you and Edward just had sex!" She said dramatically.

"Shhhhhut up!" It was one thing that people knew we were together. It'd be another if the Jeopardy! execs knew we were defiling the couches in every room here.

"You two are so gross. Can't take you anywhere," she mumbled.

"Whatever. Let's go get lunch at one of the studio restaurants. Maybe we will see Ellen or someone from the Big Bang Theory," I said.

* * *

The next day, Emmett, Edward, and I would all be competing in the semifinals in three separate matches against two of the other winners and four wildcard contestants from the day before. These three games would narrow down the three finalists.

Rose and I stayed in my dressing room until my game, and then she stayed in the audience to watch Emmett's, since he was going last in the semifinals.

To no one's surprise, the three of us each won our respective matches and would go on to play the finals that night.

We got a three hour break to eat/study/nap/whatever we needed to do before the biggest match of our Jeopardy! careers.

We decided it best to spend apart in our own dressing rooms. Rose said she was going off studio for a bit to do some shopping but would be back for the games. I didn't blame her; this studio got really boring with all of the down time between matches.

I curled into the couch and turned on the TV. Reruns of yesterday's games were playing, so instead of the endless note card studying, I decided to study my opponents. I knew Edward's game play just about as well as my own.

Emmett's I wasn't as familiar with. He wasn't as fast as Edward, but when he did buzz in, he rarely ever missed a question. Where Edward tended to jump around the board in search of the Daily Doubles and higher amount questions, Emmett chose from the same category until it was done. It made him more predictable but also allowed him to get into a grove that was harder to stop.

I watched three games before I realized what time it was. They'd be coming to get me in about 10 more minutes to go to the stage. I'd wanted to see Edward before to wish him luck, and I knew I needed a dose of reality from Rose to help my nerves.

These two games were going to be unlike any that I'd played before, even the one yesterday and the one today. These two determined the overall champion of the game for this year, and it might not seem like much to some, but to me, it was what I desperately wanted. It wasn't common for a female to ever make it to this leg of the competition, let alone win it. I was out to show everyone, myself included, what I was capable of doing.

I knocked on Edward's door once before it swung opened.

"Hey, I was just coming to find you. Wanted to wish my girl good luck," he winked, holding out his arms. I stepped into them and wrapped my own around his back.

"Can you believe how far we've come? I feel like we've come full circle in almost a year. It was nearly 11 months ago that we met here," I sighed, thinking about the long fall months we spent apart and the wonderful winter and spring months we'd spent together. He'd moved shortly after telling me he bought the office in South Carolina, and while we'd opted to not live together yet, a lot of our time was spent together and with overnight stays.

"It really has been a whirlwind year. I wouldn't trade it for the world. And just think, when I win that quarter million later, we can use it to look for a house when we get home," he smiled.

I was too gleeful at hearing him refer to South Carolina as our home that I let his little jibe about winning go. Last month, after officially opening his office and settling in to stay, he'd taken me to a tattoo parlor. To go with the multitude of ink on his body, he'd gotten a small outline of the state of South Carolina on it, a tiny red heart around where Columbia would be on the map. He told me his heart would always be there now.

It was cheesy and adorable and we'd had awesome sex afterwards.

"Let's go kick Rose's boyfriend's ass," Edward said.

"Where is Rose?" I asked. She was supposed to be back at my dressing room fifteen minutes ago. They'd given her a guest pass to ensure entry and exit from the studio when she pleased.

He just shrugged, so we walked down the hall to look for her in the audience.

I noticed as we passed Emmett's room that the door was cracked opened. I decided to wish him luck, too.

I knocked once before pushing the door open.

"Hey Emmett, I just wanted to wish you good-oh! Shit, sorry!" I said, realizing Emmett wasn't alone. That's when the leggy blonde with her face attached to his turned around and I realized she was my leggy, blonde best friend.

"Hey, B," she smiled, wiping delicately at her lips.

"Hey," I laughed. "Much as I hate to interrupt-whatever this is, it's almost call time," I said to Emmett. They both looked at me with goofy grins.

"I'll, ah, let you-finish?" I said awkwardly before closing the door.

"Let them finish? Bella, they were just making out. Pretty sure they were finished. Poor Emmett, going on stage with a raging boner. That's easily in my top five most embarrassing moments," Edward said with a laugh.

"When did you go on stage with a boner?" I asked.

"The first show of the day after I'd spent be night with you last year," he whispered in my ear.

* * *

The first show went quickly, and we were all pretty close together by the end. Emmett held the lead, seemingly having found a surge of confidence I'd either never noticed in him before or he'd never had before. I guess a make out session right before with my hot roommate helped a little.

I was in a close second, trailing only by $1,000, and Edward was in third, $200 behind me. We got a thirty minute break to go change our clothes and freshen up, appearing as if this was a new day for a new show.

When I returned from changing my shirt, I took my spot in the middle podium since I was currently in second place. Emmett stood tall but nervous to my right, and Edward, for the first time ever, appeared somewhat nervous to my left. One hand was already on the buzzer, the other in his pocket. He was fidgeting and bouncing from foot to foot. I'd never seen him like this. He'd acted like this wasn't that big of a deal to him, though I knew a big part of him wanted to win.

We hadn't talked much about how we'd take it if one of us won. It'd be tense, for sure, but surely we were strong enough to get through it. Suddenly I felt nervous that we weren't. What if I won and he couldn't handle it? What if he wasn't prepared to lose to me again? Surely not, though. He started dating me after I'd ruined his winning streak.

But this was different. This was major and important. This was something we both really wanted. I wondered if his nerves were for the same reason as mine.

The producers cued us in, and the show began before I could worry too much more.

My motivation never wavered, but by the end of the first two rounds, I was still in second place, this time to Edward. Emmett hadn't held as strong this round, though if he got the final question right and wagered enough today, coupled with what he won in the show before, he still had a chance.

I calculated what I'd need to wager-which was now a lot-to beat Edward. I'd have to wager almost all of my winnings from today to stand a chance. But if he did the same, if he wagered it all and got it right, then he'd win by a huge, unbeatable margin.

The Final Jeopardy category shown up on the screen as Alex announced it.

"'First Names' is the category of Final Jeopardy! Players, make your wagers," Alex said to us.

I realized then that I probably had a good chance given my track record, and playing it safe now wasn't an option. I wrote down the total amount of money I'd won in this second game, deciding that for as lucky as I'd been in this game, maybe my luck would carry me just a little further.

"We crown a new champion when we return, folks," he said, and then the producers signaled the start of the one minute break before the show would "start back."

Two people popped up to place dividers between each of us. Edward looked up and winked at me over the partition, turning back as the producer signaled that filming was beginning again.

"It's anyone's game at this point. Perhaps the most important question these players will ask themselves today is the one that answers this:

 _This name, meaning 'beauty', is also a pseudonym for Pauline Phillips, famous for her advice column._

Ten seconds, players. Good luck," Alex finished.

I smiled, knowing the answer immediately. I couldn't see Edward or Emmett, but I had I feeling they both knew the answer, too. It would all depend on how much they wagered.

"Alright players, times up. Emmett, as you're in third place, we'll start with you. You wrote down, 'What is Abigail?' Yes, Abigail Van Buren of the famous Dear Abby column. Let's see what you wagered," Alex said.

Emmett had wagered only a small amount. It put him in the lead, but not enough of one to beat me, as I knew now that my answer was right.

"Isabella, we come to you. Did you get it right?" He asked. My answer flashed onto the screen.

"Yes, you did. And what did you wager? Oh, wow, all of it," he said. The audience gasped as they realized I was now in a major lead.

"Edward, if you got this right and wagered it all, you could beat Isabella. Let's see if you did. Your answer is...Bella?" Alex said, confused. I know my face must have registered my shock. Even a few people in the audience chuckled, realizing that just like the last time we'd faced off, Edward had written down my name instead of the correct name. At least last time the names had been similar. This time, the names weren't even close.

"Well, I guess that name, ah, does mean 'beauty', but unfortunately, it's not the one we're looking for. Let's, um, let's see what you wagered," Alex said.

"Will you marry me?" Alex read, but I could barely hear it now because my heart was beating so hard in my ears. I felt someone tugging on my arm and turned to see Edward smiling at me, pulling me from my podium. He led me to the front of the podiums, the audience all staring on in shock.

Alex, wisely, stayed quiet as Edward bent to his knee and pulled a small box from the pocket he'd been fidgeting in the entire time.

Opening it, he revealed a large, round solitaire diamond, but all I could see was the sparkle in his beautiful eyes.

"Isabella Swan, my life, my love, my complete undoing at this game," he said and I laughed through the tears that were starting to fall from my face. "My Champion, my everything-will you marry me?" Edward asked.

I could barely get out a "yes" before the audience erupted in the loudest cheers I'd ever heard.

"Well folks, Edward's wager is considered a zero, so with a two day total of $54,000, Isabella Swan is our new Champion. Congratulations, Isabella," Alex said.

"Congratulations, baby," Edward whispered in my ear before picking me up and spinning around with me in his arms.

"You threw the game. You let me win," I said to him.

"Oh, Bella. You might be the champion, but I'm the winner," he winked. So cheesy.

"Oh, by the way...I won the bet," he said with a grin.

And there on the Jeopardy! stage, where I'd won more money than I'd ever know what to do with, where I'd met the man of my dreams-that's where the start of my forever began.

* * *

 **And that, my friends, is the end.**

 **I wish you all the happiest of holidays, whichever you celebrate, and a Happy New Year!**

 **Please keep in your thoughts the family and friends of last week's six day champion, Cindy Stowell. She competed in August, knowing that she was dying of stage four colon cancer. She died on December 5th, just eight days shy of her first show appearance airing. All of her winnings are being donated to cancer research. She is the first ever posthumous winner of the show.**


End file.
